Scottie Scheffler has revealed that he often receives calls and messages of support from Donald Trump and that Team USA is relishing having the President at the Ryder Cup in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Trump – an avid golfer – is slated to attend the opening day of the 45th Ryder Cup in New York, which comes just two weeks after his political ally Kirk was shot dead in Utah.
The president has regularly attended major sporting events since returning to the Oval Office, including the men’s singles final at the US Open between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
He recently watched the New York Yankees – on the 24th anniversary of 9/11 – and met Aaron Boone’s players before their game against the Detroit Tigers.
Neither USA Captain Keegan Bradley nor Scheffler is expecting a rousing pre-Ryder Cup message from the president. ‘(He) is a pretty busy guy,’ Bradley said. But world No 1 Scheffler did lift the lid on his ‘funny’ relationship with the commander-in-chief.
‘I personally don’t have any plans (to see him),’ Scheffler said. ‘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.
‘That was one of the things I noticed a lot with the little bit of time I spent with him, is he treats everybody the same and treats people with the utmost respect.
‘Whether you’re the person serving us lunch or the caddie on the golf course or the guy who’s the president of the club that we’re at, he treats everybody like they’re the greatest person in the world.
‘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.’
Scheffler was then asked what the president says when he reaches out. ‘Great job,’ the world No 1 revealed.
Trump’s planned appearance on Friday will lead to increased security and fanfare, with Daily Mail Sport revealing that the president is expected to be here ‘late morning’, rather than in time for the first tee shots at 7.10am ET.
And Scheffler believes it is ‘extremely important’ for Team USA to have the backing of their president given the turmoil of recent weeks.
‘I think our team as a whole, we’re very proud to be Americans. I think the flag means a lot to us. Being here in New York I think is very special as well,’ Scheffler said.
‘It’s been a tough few weeks for our country with some of the stuff that’s been going on. And to have our president here and for us to represent the United States of America – albeit being in a golf tournament – is extremely important for us.
‘We’re excited to be on home soil with the home crowd and we’re ready to get this tournament started.’
Bradley echoed those sentiments, insisting all the extra attention and mayhem ‘definitely’ did not worry him.
‘I’m deeply honored that the President of the United States is going to come support our team at the Ryder Cup,’ he said.
‘I think anytime you can be around a current President is a pretty phenomenal thing, but when you’re representing your country at a place like Bethpage Black in New York, having the president there to support you is something that is just absolutely incredible. I’m really grateful to him for doing that for us.’
