The fallout from last week’s shocking events in the Capitol have reverberated across American society and now it has been felt at the highest levels of the United States Professional Golfers Association.
The PGA of America’s board have announced that they will no longer host the 2022 USPGA Championships at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Short but Sweet Tweet
In a short but sweet Tweet, the USPGA announced that:
“The PGA of America Board of Directors voted tonight to exercise the right to terminate the agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster.” — Jim Richerson, PGA of America President
— PGA of America (@PGA) January 11, 2021
However, in a number of media interviews that followed the announcement, the PGA of America president Jim Richerson explained the decision in a little more detail:
“It has become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand and would put at risk the PGA’s ability to deliver our many programmes and sustain the longevity of our mission.”
“It was a decision made to ensure that the PGA of America and PGA professionals can continue to lead and grow our game for decades to come.”
At the moment, the PGA of America has not announced the venue that will replace Trump National as the new host for the 2022 PGA Championship.
The tournament is one of the four Golf Majors that take place each season alongside the Masters, US Open and British Open.
A Blow for President Trump’s Golf Legacy
It is another blow to President Trump after his purchase of Turnberry in Ayrshire Scotland in 2014
has meant it has not been selected as a venue for the Open Championship since. Nor will it be selected as a venue at any time up until 2025 at the earliest with the venues already decided for the British Open through to 2024.
It last hosted the Open Championship in 2009 and it is generally rare for a course that is selected as part of The Open roster, to go more than 10 years without hosting the event.
The President, known to be an avid golfer, owns 17 courses all over the world and often spends his time away from the Oval Office on the golf course.
Legal Action in the Pipeline?
The news of the PGA’s decision has been met with criticism from the Trump camp with one representative from his golf company stating:
“We have had a beautiful partnership with the PGA of America and are incredibly disappointed with their decision. This is a breach of a binding contract and they have no right to terminate the agreement.”
“As an organisation we have invested many, many millions of dollars in the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster. We will continue to promote the game of golf on every level and remain focused on operating the finest golf courses anywhere in the world.”
However, Richerson disagreed with that assessment stating that the board had voted on Sunday night to ‘exercise the right to terminate the agreement” to play the event at Trump National.
Unsurprisingly, it seems that there may well be legal action in the offing regarding this decision, with Trump likely to claim a breach of contract and claim back losses incurred from the decision from the PGA of America.
*Featured Image (clipped) Courtesy of Ekem – CC BY.S.A 4.0
