Donald Trump is set to attend the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, but he will now delay his arrival on Friday
US President Donald Trump will delay his arrival at Bethpage Black for the Ryder Cup, though his presence at the competition could still generate expenses surpassing £12million.
Trump has already made notable appearances at FIFA’s Club World Cup during the summer, where he presented the trophy to Chelsea, as well as at the US Open in New York.
Trump’s expected visit to Long Island had raised alarm following his appearance at the Flushing Meadows final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, which delayed the match by 37 minutes.
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This postponement stemmed from extra security screenings for spectators, causing extensive queues outside the main show court.
Despite the delay, countless fans still missed the start of the final, reports the Mirror.
They later expressed their frustration at Trump by booing him when he was shown on the stadium’s big screens.
The opening foursomes match at the Ryder Cup is scheduled to begin at 7:10am ET (12:10pm BST) on Friday.
However, Trump now appears set to arrive for the afternoon session, with four fourball matches due to start from 12:25pm ET (5:25pm BST).
PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague issued an invitation to Trump “a number of weeks ago” and now the staggering cost of the operation is becoming apparent, with it potentially marking the largest bill in the sport’s history. No official figure has been revealed.
Nevertheless, costs from other sporting events that Trump has attended offer a glimpse of what American taxpayers might be required to fund.
According to Golf365, Trump’s love affair with the golf course has allegedly saddled US taxpayers with a bill surpassing £53m since his return to the White House at the beginning of the year.
A private journey to one of his Scottish golf properties cost local police forces £3.2m, with £1.6m earmarked for overtime payments.
His attendance at Super Bowl LIX earlier this year accumulated £14.8m in expenses, whilst his brief visit to the US Open was reported to reach around £6m.
Considering that Air Force One runs at roughly £200,000 per hour, Trump’s choice to attend the tournament could escalate to £12m, including Secret Service protection, local policing, security measures and accommodation costs.
European captain Luke Donald has diplomatically indicated Trump’s attendance enhances the competition.
“I think that you have to respect the Office and the fact that he wants to come and show support is a good thing. He loves golf is all I’m going to say.”
US captain Keegan Bradley voiced his excitement about the President’s forthcoming visit.
“I think this is going to be a sporting event to remember across any sport,” he said.
“Then you add on the president of the United States standing there, I really think it’s going to be something that everyone will remember forever.”
In the meantime, world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler confirmed that Trump wasn’t slated to speak to Bradley’s team before the Ryder Cup begins, but he had words of admiration for the former president.
He stated: “The president is kind of funny. He loves the game of golf. He loves supporting golfers, and I get a call or a text from him sometimes after wins.
“He just loves the game of golf, and he’s one of those guys when you’re around him, he does such a good job of, like, feeding confidence into everybody around him. I don’t think he has any plans to address us as a team, but I’m sure if things go well, we’ll hear from him this week.”
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