Masters chairman’s speech said it all about Donald Trump as president gets banned | Golf | Sport

Masters chairman Fred Ridley chose not to reference Donald Trump during his address ahead of the 2025 tournament and there have been no indications he plans to acknowledge the United States president this time around either. Trump has reportedly long sought membership of Augusta National, the historic Georgia golf club which hosts the tournament, though he was recently delivered a damning assessment as to why the decision to overlook him so far is unlikely to be changed. Coaching legend Butch Harmon suggested the president will continue to be excluded from membership “because he is Trump”, arguing he does not match the profile of the calibre of individual who gains approval for membership at Augusta National. It stands as one of the most exclusive clubs anywhere on the planet, with membership limited to roughly 300 individuals at any one time.

When recently questioned about Trump being passed over for membership, iconic coach Harmon – who has worked with the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson – did not mince his words. “I think you can answer that yourself. Because he’s Trump,” the 82-year-old said.

“I think he is who he is. He’s full of himself. He’s the type of person that I don’t think fits the profile of an Augusta member. I’ve known him most of my whole life, because his father was a member of Winged Foot.

“I’ve known Donald pretty much my whole life. What you see is what you get with him. And I don’t think his personality fits the membership at Augusta.

“I don’t think that [being president] has anything to do with it, because there’s been a lot of other presidents who played golf, and they’re not members. [Bill] Clinton, [Barack] Obama… they played golf. I think it’s just his personality doesn’t mix with that particular club. That’s as politically correct as I can be.”

“It only boosts my belief that I can go ahead and do it,” Rose reflected when discussing painful loss. “I’ve pretty much done what it takes to win. I just haven’t kind of walked over the line. I feel like I’ve executed well enough to have done the job.

“From that point of view, I don’t feel like I have to find something in myself or do something different. I truly believe that. No, I don’t feel like [the Masters] owes me anything. I come here with a good attitude.”