Last week, the number one golfer in the world Rory McIlroy talked about playing golf with President Donald Trump declaring that he would never play with Trump again, given how the president has handled the coronavirus pandemic.
During Sunday’s TaylorMade Driving Relief event, where McIlroy was playing to raise money for coronavirus relief, Trump did an interview with Mike Tirico where McIlroy’s criticism was a topic of conversation. Trump took an uncharacteristic approach in responding to Tirico’s question. “A lot of [pro golfers] are very political, actually. Some like my politics very much and probably some don’t,” he said. “I guess the ones that don’t, I don’t get to see as much, but they seem to like it. … I know so many of the tour players and they’re really fantastic people. I can’t think of anyone I don’t like. I can’t say that necessarily in life, but when you meet these tour players, they’re just great people. It’s something very special.”
McIlroy last played with Trump back in 2017, which led many to believe that McIlroy agreed with Trump and some of his views. McIlroy noted that the way the president had handled the coronavirus pandemic is simply terrible and that Trump has not been the leader he should be during these times. “We’re in the midst of something that’s pretty serious right now and the fact that he’s trying to politicize it and make it a campaign rally and say they administer the most tests in the world like it is a contest – there’s some stuff that’s just terrible,” he said. “It’s not the way a leader should act. And there is a sort of diplomacy that you need to show, and I just don’t think he’s showing that — especially in these times.’’
McIlroy, along with Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, and Matthew Wolff raised over $5.5 million for coronavirus relief during Sunday’s Driving Relief event.
