Donald Trump took time out of his visit to Ireland earlier this month to attend the Irish Open, where he also presented the trophy to Shane Lowry. Now, his attention has turned to the 2026 Presidents Cup. After attending the Texas-Tennessee football game in Knoxville on Saturday, Trump is set to attend Sunday’s singles at Medinah Country Club. In the meantime, players including Sam Burns, Wyndham Clark, and others have shared their thoughts on the president’s presence at the event.
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“I think for me personally, anyone who’s the president of this country, I respect that position, obviously,” said Sam Burns. “I’ve actually got to spend some time with President Trump, and we’ve played golf together a few times. I think you just have a ton of respect for that position, and being an American, I think it’s very important that we do support our president, regardless of your political views.
“I think if you look at our country now, it seems more divided than ever, and hopefully we can get back to the point where all Americans come together, and we’re all trying to kind of reach the same goal.”
Trump’s visit to the event doesn’t come as a surprise. The PGA Tour invited Trump to serve as the honorary chairman for the 2026 tournament, continuing a tradition of U.S. presidents holding the title, which Trump previously accepted for the 2017 event during Trump’s first term as President. However, Trump’s presence at the event comes with some consequences.
There will be heightened security measures throughout the event, particularly in areas where the 47th President of the United States is expected to be. That was especially evident at last year’s Ryder Cup, when additional security measures were put in place for fans as Trump attended the Friday afternoon session and watched play begin. However, the extra security measures don’t appear to bother Xander Schauffele.
“He made a guest appearance at Bethpage as well,” Schauffele said. “I’m sure Secret Service wasn’t pumped that he made an early announcement on where he’s going to be, (laughter). But they’ll do a nice job to keep him safe. But, yeah, it’s awesome that our president loves golf and supports USA.”
As commander in chief, Trump will further showcase his role as head of state by riding in his own custom Team USA golf cart, according to Front Office Sports reporter David Rumsey. Meanwhile, Wyndham Clark will be among those looking forward to seeing it firsthand.
“Like I said, being an American and having the President of the United States coming to watch you play golf is something that as a kid you don’t ever imagine or fathom happening,” Clark said. “I just think it’s pretty amazing. He’s our commander in chief, and it’s going to be definitely really exciting on Sunday.”
It’s worth noting that this will be his first visit to the Chicago area during his current presidential term. While the city remains heavily Democratic and voted for Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election, Trump’s share of the vote in Chicago nearly doubled compared to his 2016 run (12.4%), showing increased support in specific Northwest and Southwest side neighborhoods.
And Patrick Cantlay is leaning on this increased support for Trump to get the crowd going on Sunday.
“I think it would be great to have the President out and hopefully gets the crowd going,” Cantlay said. “I’m expecting the crowd to be loud and behind us this week, and that’s what makes playing home team events so fun.”
Donald Trump, of course, is a long-time golfer and passionate fan of the sport. So, rookie Jackson Koivan wasn’t too surprised to hear about the news.
“Obviously he’s a huge supporter of golf, and at the end of the day it’s cool to see the President show up for an event like this,” Koivan said.
Interestingly, Chris Gotterup isn’t too bothered by who the president is, as long as they care about the sport.
“I think everyone, you know, whoever the president is, if they care enough to come watch us play golf, that’s pretty cool,” Gotterup said. “So I know we’re excited, and we’re going to go try to put on a good performance for everyone.”
In the meantime, Wyndham Clark reflected on his previous conversation with Donald Trump.
Wyndham Clark reveals what Donald Trump told him after US Open Victory
The two-time major winner was left stunned when Donald Trump called him after his breakthrough U.S. Open victory at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023. That’s because the president appeared to have followed every shot of his winning performance.
Clark recalled the unexpected phone call ahead of this week’s Presidents Cup. And revealed that despite the political differences surrounding Trump, congratulations from the president was an unforgettable experience.
“It was honestly one of the coolest calls of my life. Regardless of what people think about any President at the given time, to have the most powerful man in the world to call you after you win something is pretty amazing,” Clark said. “He knew every shot. He was like this up-and-down on this hole, this up-and-down on this hole was amazing. He really said a bunch of nice things. That was definitely one of the coolest calls of my life.”
That said, it appears players are excited about Donald Trump’s visit. But given the political climate, it would be interesting to see how the fans feel about his presence.