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Trump says back to normal in golf means big crowds, no masks

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Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of White House in Washington, Sunday, May 17, 2020. Trump was returning from nearby Camp David, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trumpā€™s idea of golf getting back to normal is having thousands of fans who arenā€™t wearing masks in attendance and ā€œpractically standing on top of each other.ā€

Trump joined the NBC broadcast Sunday of ā€œTaylorMade Driving Relief,ā€ a Skins game involving Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff. It was the first live golf on television since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf and other sports on March 12.

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The PGA Tour plans to return on June 11 at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. The tour has said it will not have fans for at least a month.

ā€œAfter that, hopefully, it will be back,ā€ Trump said in his interview with NBC host Mike Tirico. ā€œWe really want to see it back to normal so when we have all these thousands, tens of thousands of people going to your majors and going to golf tournaments, we want them to be having that same experience. We donā€™t want them having to wear masks and be doing what weā€™ve been doing for the last number of months. Because thatā€™s not getting back to normal.

ā€œWe want to be back to normal where you have the big crowds, and theyā€™re practically standing on top of each other and theyā€™re enjoying themselves, not where theyā€™re worried," he said. ā€œBut in the meantime, they do the social distancing, and they practice that. And they've been doing really well. The country is ready to start moving forward.ā€

No fans or media were allowed for the Skins match at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida. The same policies will be in place next Sunday at nearby Medalist for a charity match of Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady.

Trump said he knows most of the PGA Tour players and has played with many of them. That includes McIlroy three years ago. McIlroy criticized Trump on the McKellar Journal podcast this week for politicizing the pandemic and says he would not play golf with him again.

Tirico raised McIlroyā€™s name as being among those who have played with Trump and what they talk about on the golf course. The president didnā€™t bite on McIlroyā€™s recent comments.

ā€œA lot of them are very political, actually,ā€ Trump said. ā€œSome like my politics very much, and probably some donā€™t. I guess the ones that donā€™t, I donā€™t get to see as much.ā€


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