One of the most important professional golf tournaments was held on President Donald Trump’s field in Bedminster, New Jersey, days after his supporters invaded the United States Capitol, officials said on Sunday.
Although the Professional Golfers’ Association of America did not mention the riot in its statement, the change came four days after the mob, prompted by Trump’s continuing false statements about electoral fraud, violated the Capitol in a failed effort to undo the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.
At least five people died, including a Capitol police officer.
The 2022 PGA Championship was set to be played at the Trump club in May of that year.
“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,” said PGA of America President Jim Richerson in a statement released by the PGA.
In a video statement, Richerson said that playing at the Trump club would be bad for business and that it could even harm the sport itself.
“It was clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand and would jeopardize PGA’s ability to fulfill many programs and sustain the longevity of our mission,” he said.
“It was a decision made to ensure that professionals from PGA of America and PGA can continue to lead and develop our great game in the coming decades,” he said.
The Trump Organization said in a statement that the PGA “has no right to terminate the agreement”.
“We had a beautiful partnership with PGA of America and we are incredibly disappointed in their decision,” he said.
“This is a breach of a binding contract and they have no right to terminate the agreement. As an organization, we have invested many millions of dollars in the 2022 PGA Championship at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster,” he said.
It is not the first time that the professional golf hierarchy has had to push its way out of a public relations sand trap set by Trump.
The 2016 WGC-Cadillac Championship was scheduled to take place at the Trump National Doral, near Miami, before sponsors revolted at Trump’s comments as a presidential candidate that Mexican immigrants were “criminals, drug dealers, rapists”.
The tournament was moved to Mexico City.
Even before his presidential race, Trump was not a favorite of golf officials in the United Kingdom, where he had long sought the return of the rotating British Open to his Turnberry golf course in Scotland, where it was played in 2009.
NBC News reported last year that Trump asked his UK ambassador Robert “Woody” Johnson to see if British government officials could help play the Open at Turnberry.
Rex Hoggard contributed.