fbpx
Barack Obama, Clinton, Bush

Donald Trump to Kim Jon-il – world leaders that love to tee up

To celebrate the Presidents Cup this week's Quick 9 celebrates the most powerful people in the world who were also handy with a putter
 

Former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were pictured at the Presidents Cup on Thursday as the United States began the biennial tournament against the International team at Liberty National.

We thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some of the world leaders that have played golf in the past and see just how good they were…

George W.H. Bush

George Bush senior was known for being one of the quickest players to get round a golf course and was once rumoured to have finished a round within two hours.

During his time in office he carried a handicap in the 20s and was inducted in to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011 for his work in golf.

He was the original honorary chairman of the The First Tee, a golf charity that aims to educate younger people.

George W. Bush

The younger George certainly played a lot of golf at the start of his presidential term but stopped due to ongoing wars in the Middle East. Many saw this as an attempt to gain positive press following his famous “watch this drive” speech.

He started playing again after his time in office and is said to have got his handicap down to about 10 at one point.

Barack Obama

During his two terms in office, left-hander Obama reportedly played more than 200 rounds of golf. He held a handicap in the mid 20s but is said to have got it down to around 18 since.

Barak Obama

Since leaving the White House he has been pictured tackling numerous courses across the world and recently visited Scotland to take on the Old Course.

Bill Clinton

If you thought Barack Obama played a lot of rounds then you’l be surprised at Bill Clinton’s efforts. The 42nd President confirmed he played around 400 rounds of golf during his time in office.

Once he left office he lowered his handicap to around 10, like Bush, but has since been fairly inactive due to other commitments.

His charity, the Clinton Foundation, hosts the Humana Challenge PGA Tour event in California every January.

Donald Trump

Donald Trump has taken a lot of criticism for the amount of golf he has played since arriving in the White House. He has been seen playing with a number of PGA Tour stars including four-time major champion Rory McIlroy.

 

Donald Trump

The President reportedly plays off low single figures but many have questioned this. McIlroy described the former reality TV star as “quite good for a man in his 70s”, but rock star Alice Cooper replied to a question about the biggest cheat in golf with: “I played with Donald Trump one time. That’s all I’m going to say.”

Similarly, Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson was once asked who was a better golfer out him and Trump. “Me. For sure. I don’t cheat.”

Cutting.

Dwight Eisenhower

Eisenhower reportedly played more than 800 rounds while in office and famously teed it up at Augusta National on a regular basis where he has a cabin named after him to this day.

The famous tree that also took his name on the 17th had to be cut down in 2014.

David Cameron

It’s not just US presidents that take to the links.

David Cameron was pictured playing golf with Obama last year. Apparently, the American came out on top, but details of the former Prime Minister’s game are scarce…

 

Winston Churchill

Our glorious leader during World War II was rumoured to be a big fan of the game and played a little but perhaps his best golfing moment was this great quote: “Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an ever smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose.”

Kim Jon-il

This might be one of the funniest golfing stories of all time. We’ve all heard it, but in case you haven’t…

Kim Jon-il had never played golf before in his life and on his first round it was reported he played in 34 under par with 11 holes-in-one. Yes you read that one right.

Apparently the story behind the amazing round is that the scorer was writing down how many over par he was instead of his actual score which would certainly make more sense (but isn’t as amusing).

Click here for more from the Quick 9 archives

Latest Posts

dp world tour 2024 schedule

DP World Tour

DP World Tour 2024 schedule and results

Read full article - DP World Tour 2024 schedule and results
liv golf schedule 2024

LIV Golf

LIV Golf schedule 2024: Every date, venue and result

Read full article - LIV Golf schedule 2024: Every date, venue and result
players championship field 2024

News

Players Championship field: Who is playing at TPC Sawgrass?

Read full article - Players Championship field: Who is playing at TPC Sawgrass?
LIV Golf

LIV Golf

How far have the LIV golfers fallen in the world rankings?

Read full article - How far have the LIV golfers fallen in the world rankings?
pga championship field

News

World Golf Rankings 2024: Who’s in the top 10?

Read full article - World Golf Rankings 2024: Who’s in the top 10?
LIV Golf

LIV Golf

Show me the money! How much has each LIV player made since signing up?

Read full article - Show me the money! How much has each LIV player made since signing up?
rory mcilroy talor gooch

News

Rory McIlroy’s advice for Talor Gooch: Be more like Joaquin Niemann!

Read full article - Rory McIlroy’s advice for Talor Gooch: Be more like Joaquin Niemann!
viktor hovland prize money

News

Soulless, comical and sad: Viktor Hovland has a bleak outlook on golf

Read full article - Soulless, comical and sad: Viktor Hovland has a bleak outlook on golf
talor gooch

LIV Golf

‘It’s noteworthy’: Talor Gooch defends controversial Rory McIlroy asterisk claim

Read full article - ‘It’s noteworthy’: Talor Gooch defends controversial Rory McIlroy asterisk claim