‘Cheat': Donald Trump accused again as clip goes viral
Donald Trump has been accused of golf cheating for the second time in days with video of an incident at his private golf club going viral.
The US president was on Sunday (AEST) crowned champion at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with the White House proudly spruiking the achievement on its social media channels.
Trump is an avid golfer and has regularly made all sorts of claims about club championship victories and his overall ability on the course.
The 79-year-old was crowned the winner of the men's seniors club championship with his scorecard showing he completed the 18 holes in a sizzling 69 strokes.
However, the achievement has been called into question with new video appearing to show the Commander In Chief blatantly benefitting from an apparent ball drop from his caddie while on the green.
It comes just one week after he appeared to be exposed cheating during a round he played at the Trump Turnberry course and Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
In a viral video, a caddie was seen bending over and rather sheepishly dropping a ball onto the first cut of rough, a few feet short of a bunker and clear of the much thicker rough on the Scottish layout.
The President didn't raise an eyelid as he calmly went and hit his next shot from the friendlier location.
The much maligned leader of the free world was accused of being a 'shameless cheater' at the time — and now the new accusations are being fired from all directions.
The new footage of Trump taking advantage of having a caddie drop the ball onto the green in New Jersey is even more overt than his Scottish adventure.
One version of the clip shared on X has more than 3.4 million views.
The 47th POTUS was seen attempting to putt from where his caddie had dropped the ball, but then needed a further three or four taps to get the damned ball in the hole.
One attempt to backhand the ball into the cup is a particularly bad look.
While it is commonplace for casual weekend hackers to pick their ball up and give it a taparoo when it comes to frustrating close-range putts, Trump's apparent cheating occurred during an organised championship — which he supposedly won.
For those left cross-eyed trying to work out what the hell all of this means, it is a black and white rule violation for caddies to pick up the ball and perform a drop on the green.
Under the Rules of Golf — as determined by the United States Golf Association and The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews — balls must be placed in their original location (not dropped) if they need to be picked up for any reason on the green.
Under Rule 14.3 the ball must be dropped by the player and not the caddie in most relief situations. The green — which is free of hazards — is not a relief situation.
If a ball needs to be lifted and replaced in genuine situations, including for cleaning, interference, or after being accidentally moved, it must be replaced on its original spot, not dropped. Replacing means setting it down gently, not dropping it from height.
It is for these reasons golf commentators have been left convinced Trump cheated in broad daylight.
Rick Reilly, author of Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, has led the criticism.
Reilly has been vocal in his criticism of Trump and is known to have played a round of golf with the President in previous years.
'So you know, it's NEVER legal for your caddie to drop a ball,' Reilly posted on X.
'YOU can drop one, but never on a green. And since this was a full-score event, its not legal for Trump to drag the ball into the hole. No, no, never. Our president is a f***ing golf cheat.'
Before the weekend's action in Bedminster, Reilly predicted Trump was going to claim victory.
'Tomorrow is the Senior Champ at Bedminster,' Reilly wrote on X. 'Are you shameless enough to pretend you won it? Even after the whole planet saw you cheat in Scotland? Is your ego that sick?'
After Trump's win, Reilly wrote in a follow-up, 'Guess we got our answer. What a child.'
Trump previously raised eyebrows when he boasted he shot a round of 67 at the Bedminster course, which has a par score of 72.
A score of five-under on most championship-level golf courses, which Trump National is, would please seasoned professionals.
You be the judge.
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