Lexi Thompson praised US President Donald Trump’s golfing prowess Tuesday after a recent round with the American leader, but said the pressures of office may be weighing on his game.
The top US golfer is among a roster of famous names to have played the commander-in-chief since he took office, including Rory McIlroy and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Thompson, 22, who trains at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida, said she has played with the reality star-turned-world leader 10 to 15 times, adding that he was “not a bad player”.
“He’s got a lot on his mind right now, so it’s tough to judge on where his game is at the moment,” she told reporters in Singapore ahead of the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament on Thursday.
Trump has made frequent trips to his luxury Mar-a-Lago golf club and estate — now nicknamed the “Winter White House” — since he took office last month.
Dubbed “golfer-in-chief”, the US president played a round with Abe during recent diplomatic talks.
Earlier this month Trump also played 18-holes with former world number one McIlroy, although the golfer has since insisted this “wasn’t an endorsement nor a political statement of any kind”.
Thompson said the last time she was on the fairway with Trump was before she travelled to Thailand for the LPGA tournament last week.
“It’s just entertaining to watch him,” she said, adding it is “pretty cool” to be golfing with a president while surrounded by secret service agents.
Trump hits it straight off the tee, Thompson said when asked about the president’s game.
“He probably doesn’t carry it very far but he has a low ball flight and pretty straight and just rolls a mile off the tee,” the American said.
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