Trump loves the game of golf and takes pride in his relationships with some of the pros

DUBLIN -- It's no secret that President Donald Trump loves the game of golf. He likes to watch, play, include pros in his foursomes and even design courses. He also isn't shy about his friendships with the pros.

Trump is spending the weekend at his golf resort in the village of Doonbeg, Ireland, where he is watching the Irish Open being played there. Irish golfer Shane Lowry held a four-stroke lead going into Sunday’s final day of competition.

Trump's friend, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, said golf is one of the things the president does for fun.

“The president works all day, every day. And there are two things that he does for enjoyment," Lutnick told reporters recently. "He plays golf on the weekend and he builds. He loves to build.”

And Trump has built friendships with some of the pros, and he's proud of it. He name drops and lavishes praise on them whenever he talks about them.

“I have so many friends that are professional, top professional golfers,” Trump told Fox News Channel's “The Five” earlier this year. He then named Rory McIlroy,Tiger Woods,Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler, among them.

He also posts pictures on social media of him with pro golfers after their rounds. Trump has given awards to some and invited them to the White House. Others are helping him redesign Washington-area golf courses.

Here's some of what Trump has had to say about them.

Bryson DeChambeau

Trump said DeChambeau is among the “great pros.” The two have played together and DeChambeau has appeared at the White House. He celebrated his first U.S. Open title in 2020 at one of Trump’s golf properties in New York. Last year, he was chosen as the chairperson of Trump’s reconstituted version of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, an advisory committee.

Ernie Els

The South African pro golfer was in the Oval Office in May 2025 as part of the delegation accompanying Cyril Ramaphosa, his country's president, to a meeting with Trump. Fellow South African golfer Retief Goosen was also part of the group.

“Ernie Els is a great golfer. He's a truly great golfer and Retief Goosen, who's another really — we call him really a great golfer, too, Ernie, right?” Trump said. “These two guys are fantastic, and we could add Gary to the group, Gary Player. What a group of golfers South Africa has had. There must be something in the water, right?”

Trump awarded Player, who is considered one of the sport's greatest golfers, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2021. It is one of the most prestigious honors an American president can give a civilian.

Rory McIlroy

After winning this year's Masters, McIlroy was a guest at Trump's White House state dinner for King Charles III and Queen Camilla in April 2026. Trump recognized the six-time major champion from Northern Ireland as he spoke about the “unconquerable courage” he said is shared by the United States and the United Kingdom.

“And speaking of that, where’s Rory McIlroy? ... Stand up, Rory. Will you please? That was unconquerable courage. That was very good, Rory,” Trump said of the Masters win.

“I had to interrupt my speech because I watched that man win a tournament that was, that was a tough, that was a tough one. Congratulations. Very proud of you,” Trump continued.

Trump has also said McIlroy “loves” the Doonbeg course.

Jack Nicklaus

“I love Jack. OK? Jack is great,” Trump told Fox News host Trey Gowdy in August after he asked who the president would have in his “dream foursome.”

Trump has enlisted the retired Nicklaus, who designs golf courses, to help him redesign the golf courses at Joint Base Andrews, the military base in the Maryland suburbs of Washington where Air Force One is parked.

Scottie Scheffler

“So great,” Trump told Gowdy about Scheffler, the top-ranked player on the PGA Tour.

Annika Sorenstam

Sorenstam, the only LPGA player to shoot 59 and a winner of the career Grand Slam, played golf with Trump, Player and the late Sen. Lindsey Graham at his course in Virginia in 2019.

Trump awarded Sorenstam the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which brought criticism to the Swedish great because the ceremony took place on Jan. 7, 2021, one day after the violent riot at the Capitol.

Sorenstam is now host of an LPGA event called The Annika. Last year, she gave a sponsor invitation to Kai Trump, the president’s granddaughter.

Tiger Woods

“I happen to love Tiger. Tiger is a great guy,” the president told Gowdy.

Days later, Woods pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge and a judge suspended his driver’s license for five years following a March rollover crash in Florida. He was arrested in March after his SUV clipped a truck on a residential road near his home on Jupiter Island.

Two pain pills were found in Woods’ pocket and he showed signs of impairment. Woods’ career has been derailed by multiple back and knee surgeries, car crashes and dependence on pain medication.

After the court appearance, Trump repeated to reporters that he thinks Woods is a “great guy” and said he is “unique in so many ways, and especially as an athlete, but also as a man.”

He said he thought the case was resolved fairly and that he’d previously suggested to Woods that he get someone to drive him around because of the pain he suffers.

Trump called Woods a “true legend” when he awarded him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019. Woods is currently dating Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr.

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AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.