MEDINAH, Ill. — President Donald Trump’s appearance at the Presidents Cup is expected to come on Sunday during the final round of the four-day team golf competition, sources told Front Office Sports.
The Presidents Cup begins Thursday at Medinah Country Club just outside Chicago, and Trump previously accepted an invitation from the PGA Tour to be honorary chairman of the event. That continues the tradition of U.S. presidents and leaders of other host nations serving in the role at the biennial tournament.
In an announcement last month, Trump said, “I look forward to being there,” but has not yet specified which day he will be attending. The PGA Tour declined to comment on Trump’s travel plans due to security reasons. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump also served as honorary chairman of the 2017 Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey. He became the second sitting U.S. president to attend the event—Bill Clinton in 1996 was the other—and the first to present the Presidents Cup trophy to the winning team after the U.S. team defeated the International squad.
Former President Joe Biden was honorary chairman of the 2022 Presidents Cup in Charlotte but did not attend the tournament. Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was honorary chairman for the 2024 edition in Montreal and attended the final day of competition, which was won by the U.S.
Last year, Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend the Ryder Cup when he was on-site at Bethpage Black Golf Course in New York on the event’s opening day. Trump watched players tee off the first hole in the afternoon sessions. Major fan delays were largely avoided even with the additional security measures in place. After entering the grounds, fans had to go through a TSA-style screening process in order to enter the 5,000-seat first tee stadium area where Trump resided.
The Presidents Cup will be the fifth high-profile golf event that Trump has attended this year, but the first at a course that he doesn’t own. Trump has already attended two LIV Golf events at his clubs in Virginia and New Jersey, the PGA Tour’s return to Doral in May, and the Irish Open at his course in Doonbeg earlier this month.
Trump regularly drives around his courses in a golf cart—with plenty of Secret Service nearby—and on Sunday, he is expected to have a custom golf cart with design elements incorporating Presidents Cup branding, his own presidential service, and USA 250 imagery.
