President Trump once again put his golf game in the spotlight when he reported shooting a 2-under 70 at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on August 2. The score later drew comparisons with some of LIV Golf’s biggest professional stars.
Those comparisons became possible after LIV Golf New York was played at Bedminster from August 6–9. Analysts noted that four rounds of 70 would have produced a total of 280, a score that would have placed Trump surprisingly high on the professional leaderboard.
A score that drew attention
President Trump announced on August 2 that he had shot a 2-under 70 at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster while winning both the Senior and Super Senior Men’s Club Championship divisions. The result quickly attracted attention because of the unusually low reported score.
Trump, who turned 80 in June, said he had very little time to practice because of his presidential duties and credited his performance to natural talent. Critics and longtime skeptics of his golf record questioned the result, while others praised his performance.
The timing is important. LIV Golf’s professionals did not play Bedminster until August 6–9, several days after Trump’s round. Their results subsequently provided a striking benchmark for comparing his reported 70 with scores posted under professional tournament conditions.
Comparing Trump’s 70 to LIV pros
One widely circulated comparison calculated that four consecutive rounds of 70 would have given Trump a 280 total at LIV Golf New York, good for a tie for 9th place in the 72-hole event.
That hypothetical score would have put him ahead of several prominent LIV players, including Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, and Bryson DeChambeau. Garcia, Johnson, and DeChambeau are major champions, while Poulter has enjoyed a distinguished professional career but has never won a major championship.
The comparison is eye-catching, but it is not a direct competitive test. Trump’s club round and the LIV event were played under different competition conditions, and LIV used a 7,651-yard, par-71 tournament setup.
How Bedminster’s course plays so tough
Trump National Golf Club Bedminster’s Old Course was designed by Tom Fazio and is known for sprawling bunkers, large contoured greens, and significant risk-reward challenges. The club lists the Old Course as a 7,560-yard, par-72 layout.
LIV Golf used an even longer tournament configuration in August. Its setup measured 7,651 yards and played to par 71, making it the second-longest course LIV had used during the 2026 season at that point.
Trump’s reported club-championship score of 70 was recorded on a par-72 setup, while the professionals later competed on LIV’s par-71 configuration. His reported score remains extremely low for an amateur golfer, but comparisons should account for the different tees, course setup, and tournament conditions.
The gross score controversy explained
A video shared by fellow participant Philip Zamloot showed a tournament leaderboard listing both Trump’s gross and net scores as 70. The footage attracted attention because the gross score represents the actual number of strokes recorded before handicap adjustments.
On the club’s par-72 setup, a gross 70 equates to a 2-under-par round. The fact that the displayed gross and net totals were identical indicated that no handicap strokes changed Trump’s posted tournament total.
Zamloot’s own gross score was listed as 77, which reporting identified as the next-lowest gross total shown. The large gap between Trump and the rest of the displayed field contributed to scrutiny of the result, although the leaderboard itself does not establish that any scoring rules were violated.
A history of disputed club wins
Trump said his latest Bedminster victory represented his 43rd club championship. Longtime golf writer Rick Reilly has repeatedly challenged the credibility of Trump’s championship record and has alleged that Trump has never won a club championship at a course he does not own and operate.
Reilly has also documented allegations from golfers and caddies accusing Trump of moving balls, taking favorable lies, and declaring victories under unconventional circumstances. Trump and his representatives have rejected cheating allegations, while people who have played with him have also praised his ability as a golfer.
The “Pelé” story has a specific origin. Reilly reported that caddies at Winged Foot gave Trump the nickname because they allegedly became accustomed to seeing Trump kick his own ball back toward the fairway.
Fun fact: Members at one of Trump’s own clubs showed up for an invitational and found his name already sitting atop the leaderboard, despite him not having teed off yet.
The 2023 Mickelson comparison resurfaces
The latest discussion echoes a similar controversy from August 2023. Trump said he had won Bedminster’s Senior Club Championship with a 5-under 67, prompting immediate comparisons with professional scores recorded there earlier that month.
Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson had posted a 75 during LIV Golf’s Bedminster event roughly 2 weeks earlier. Trump’s reported 67 was therefore 8 strokes lower than Mickelson’s cited round, although the club championship and LIV tournament used different tees and course setups.
Trump defended his score on Truth Social, saying there had been no improper manipulation and crediting his performance to his ability as a golfer and athlete. He also pointed to spectators and Secret Service personnel as witnesses to the round.
LIV Golf New York takes center stage
LIV Golf returned to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on August 6–9 after skipping the venue in 2024 and 2025. The 2026 tournament marked LIV’s third visit to Bedminster, following events there in 2022 and 2023.
Joaquin Niemann won the individual title at 16-under, 3 strokes ahead of Harold Varner III. Crushers GC captured the team competition, while Jon Rahm clinched his third consecutive season-long LIV individual championship.
The Bedminster layout was more than 125 yards longer than it had been for LIV’s previous visit in 2023. New tees added 64 yards to No. 9, 42 yards to No. 13, and 31 yards to No. 16, helping produce a 7,651-yard, par-71 tournament setup.
Why does the score keep drawing reactions?
Trump’s reported 70 drew sharply different reactions. Supporters pointed to the result as evidence of his golf ability, while critics and longtime skeptics of his championship record questioned whether the score accurately reflected a competition played under conventional golf rules.
Trump embraced the result publicly. In his August 2 post, he said he had little time to practice because of his presidential responsibilities and attributed his victory to talent.
The debate continued after LIV Golf played Bedminster several days later, when professional scores made Trump’s reported round an obvious point of comparison. The episode added another high-profile chapter to the president’s long and frequently disputed golf record.
Little-known fact: Trump’s Virginia golf club has also attracted attention for an unusual historical plaque. The marker describes a supposed Civil War episode along the Potomac as a “River of Blood,” although historians quoted by CNN say there is no evidence that the battle described occurred there.
TL;DR
- Trump reported shooting a 2-under 70 at Bedminster on August 2 while winning the Senior and Super Senior Men’s Club Championship divisions.
- Four consecutive rounds of 70 would have produced a total of 280 and tied for 9th at the subsequent LIV Golf New York event.
- Trump’s club round was played on a par-72 setup, while LIV used a 7,651-yard, par-71 tournament configuration.
- Longtime golf writer Rick Reilly has repeatedly accused Trump of breaking golf rules, allegations Trump has denied.
- LIV Golf New York was played August 6–9, with Joaquin Niemann winning the individual event at 16-under.
- Comparisons between Trump’s score and LIV professionals should account for different tees, course setups, and competitive conditions.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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