Scottie Scheffler and JJ Spaun suck up to Donald | Golf News

President Donald Trump was the middle of consideration as he arrived at the first tee at the Ryder Cup on Friday, receiving a heat welcome from Keegan Bradley and his American workforce.

Captain Bradley led the best way, performing the “Trump dance” and bowing as he emerged from the tunnel and walked past the protecting glass box housing the president. Following him have been U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun and Scottie Scheffler, main Team USA in the opening match of Friday’s fourballs.

While Scheffler stored it low-key, raising his fist toward Trump, Ryder Cup newcomer Spaun adopted his captain’s instance and carried out his own rendition of Trump’s signature dance. The President made an look at Bethpage Black after the Americans suffered a defeat in the Friday foursomes, trailing 3-1 to Luke Donald’s Europe.

The New York crowd warmly welcomed President Trump as he was launched to the stadium seating surrounding the first tee and 18th inexperienced at Bethpage before being escorted to the glass box for the national anthem and an F-18 fighter jet flyover.

The 79-year-old stood next to his 18-year-old granddaughter, Kai, who is slated to play collegiate golf at the University of Miami in 2026.

While Scheffler and Spaun have been keen to impress the President, Europe’s Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka took a different strategy. They ignored the commander-in-chief as they walked past Trump’s enclosure to the tee.

After remaining within the protection zone for the initial group, Trump stepped out to greet his pal Bryson DeChambeau and his enjoying associate Ben Griffin. The President then engaged in a pleasant chat with Bradley before shaking fingers with Europe captain Luke Donald.

Trump lingered at the back of the tee box, sometimes turning to the gang to rally more cheers for the home workforce. He was met with enthusiastic chants of “USA!” in return.

Interactions between other gamers and the President have been more delicate. Patrick Cantlay gestured in the direction of him, while Rory McIlroy provided a mild wave and a thumbs-up.

Before jetting off to Long Island on Air Force One, President Trump told reporters: “The team is not doing so well. I heard that, so I said, ‘Let’s get on the plane; we have to try and help them.'”

After being considerably outperformed in the opening spherical, Bradley was hopeful that the President’s presence would ignite a comeback for the home workforce.

“It’s not exactly what we wanted, but we know the Ryder Cup is going to be ebbs and flows, and I’ve got a lot of faith in our boys,” Bradley said. “We just had the President fly over in his Air Force One, so I’ve got a feeling things are going to turn here.”

Trump was evidently a crowd favourite – just two days earlier, New York‘s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul confronted a refrain of boos. It’s completely cheap to show respect to the President while representing the U.S.. However, President Trump was idolized by Bradley and some of his gamers, which appears extreme for an elected official.