It was not rocket science to work out the reason Jarrod Kushner was present at the recent Saudi International.
The son-in-law of the former US President Donald Trump was not only seen walking the fairways of the host Royal Greens course but also spotted some 30-miles to the south playing the stunning 9-hole course at Safaa in the company of LIV Golf CEO, Greg Norman.
In the days following the Asian Tour flagship event of rumours the proposed Saudi-backed Super Golf League (SGL) will be heading to Trump Dubai in the UAE and Trump Turnberry in Scotland for rounds of competition, we’re now reading news that the League could be teeing up on two Trump-owned courses in the US.
There are 11 courses in the US with the Trump branding but with suggestions that two -Trump National at Doral that backs onto the Bear’s Club in Florida and Trump National at Bedminster that features on the PGA Tour – could also play host to the SGL.
The Washington Post has now jumped on the guessing-game bandwagon indicating it has spoken to LIV Golf Investments, who declined to comment, while Eric Trump, the former president’s son, and a Trump Organisation spokeswoman also were approached but did not respond to requests for comment. The newspaper even contacted the Saudi embassy in Washington and also did not respond to comment requests.
Though the newspaper did contact Taylor Budowich, a spokesman for Trump’s political action committee, who offered a statement only chest-beating the former president’s golf courses when asked about the talks.
“It certainly sounds possible given the fact that President Trump owns some of the most beautiful and renowned golf courses in the world — from the cliffs of Rancho Palos Verdes to the majestic rolling hills of Bedminster and, of course, the iconic Doral property,” he said.
The newspaper continued by saying the financial terms of the proposed deal are unclear, but the events would undoubtedly provide revenue for Trump through the Saudis, who we know have been waving huge financial sums at PGA Tour players ahead of announcing, we understand during next month’s Players Championship, of the launch of the SGL series of golf worldwide team tournaments.
As one of the most controversial and divisive presidents in US history, the Washington Post correctly stated Trump frequently defended the Saudi government even as it committed a wide range of human rights abuses and the imprisonment and execution of gay citizens. Indeed, Trump’s first overseas trip as president was to Saudi Arabia, and he regularly praised the country’s wealth and power, even as some advisers pushed him to take a tougher line on the country.
Such a deal would also provide a measure of revenge for Trump against the PGA Tour, an organisation that he courted for years but that later enraged him when politics came between them. While Trump campaigned in the summer of 2016, the PGA Tour announced it was taking the World Golf Championship tournament from Doral and moving it to Mexico City.
Trump also lost the PGA championship from his course in New Jersey last year, as the organisation pulled its event days after the Jan. 6 insurrection by a pro-Trump mob at the U.S. Capitol.
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