Teeing Up This Week’s Breaking News - April 7
Reporting live from the first hole, where we are ready to tee off and hammer away with this week’s breaking news in the vast green landscape of golf. My name is Tessa Lapradez, and I am here to give you an update about the sport and all things golf on and off the court. With the 2024 end-of-the-year TV deal secured between LIV and FOX Sports and the debut of TGL, this is the year of innovation for golf. Off into the course we go!
Trump and the Game:
Trump was spotted at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach last Friday amidst the announcement of widespread tariffs. In a “billionaire bubble,” as Senator Chuck Schumer called it, Trump decided to trade tariff talk with golf clubs as his supporters cheered him on from the sidewalk of the course.
“While the American people are trying to put food on the table, I see that Donald Trump’s out there playing golf,” said Sen. Ben Ray Luján.
The next day, on April 5, Trump secured a victory in a senior golf club championship. “The President won his second round matchup of the Senior Club Championship today in Jupiter, FL, and advances to the Championship Round tomorrow,” the White House said.
Champions and Courses:
Brian Harman, 4-time PGA Tour winner, secured a win at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, Texas.
While reflecting on the challenges of the four-day tournament, Harman shared that it was especially hard to get through the week because his close family friend, Cathy Dowdy, was put into hospice care. Despite the mental toll, Harman pushed through and beat out golfer Andrew Novak, who needed the win to qualify for the esteemed Masters Championship.
“So I just tried really hard today to not let my emotions get out in front,” said Harman. “As much as I wanted to think about winning and holding the trophy and calling my wife and telling her how happy I was, you don’t get to do that until the job’s done.”
Amateur Aces:
Lottie Woad, ranked 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, was not able to defend her title as Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion.
Her Florida State teammates and coaches served as a cheering squad throughout the round and witnessed the unlucky streak of lip-outs, faulty tee shots, and bogeys.
Woad blamed the loss on one wrong club selection on the 10th hole of Augusta National Club, where she hit a 5-iron that landed her ball into an unplayable bush. The double bogey that came as a result of the iron shot dropped her further down the leaderboard.
“You can’t win every time,” said Woad. “The goal coming into it was just to be in contention, so I got that, and, yeah, it was a pretty good defense in the end.”
