Though rumors of President Trump’s blatant cheating on the golf course have been rampant for some time now, a new book lays out a case to charge the “Commander in Cheat” with some serious circumstantial evidence.
In Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump by former Sports Illustrated scribe Rick Reilly, the author spoke with dozens of amateur and professional players who are familiar with Trump’s golf game. Judging from his prose, however, Reilly’s take may not just be about sports.
“To say ‘Donald Trump cheats’ is like saying ‘Michael Phelps swims,’” Reilly writes. “He cheats at the highest level. He cheats when people are watching and he cheats when they aren’t. He cheats whether you like it or not. He cheats because that’s how he plays golf … if you’re playing golf with him, he’s going to cheat.”
Exhibit A: Trump’s stated handicap of 2.8.
To put that handicap in perspective, Jack Nicklaus, who has won a record 18 major golf titles, has a handicap of 3.4.
“If Trump is a 2.8,” Reilly writes, “Queen Elizabeth is a pole vaulter.”
But, to his credit, most players say Trump is actually a fairly good golfer for his age and that he actually doesn’t need to cheat. Why he does anyway might just be part of his personality.
“Golf is like bicycle shorts,” Reilly writes. “It reveals a lot about a man.”
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