8am Round-Up: Donald Trump to attend US Women's Open
The third women’s major of the season gets underway at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster on Thursday.
According to a notice to pilots posted on Monday by the Federal Aviation Administration, Trump will head to the venue on Friday and return to Washington DC on Sunday.
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Hide AdThe USGA, which runs the event, confirmed it had been notified of the temporary flight restrictions.
“But we have no knowledge of the president’s schedule,” said a spokewoman for the organisation.
“We have a security plan in place, as we do for all of our championships.”
While he was still running for president, Trump paid a visit to Turnberry during the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Turnberry two years ago and turned that event into a circus for a day.
That visit came shortly after he made some controversial claims about illegal immigrants from Mexico.
The staging of this week’s event at another of his courses has also raised eyebrows on the back of other comments he made about women on that presidency campaign trail.
Indeed, the USGA came under pressure from women’s groups to move the event but it decided to keep it a venue that is located close to its headquarters in Far Hills.
It is being claimed that Trump reportedly threatened legal action against the USGA if it had moved the event.
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Hide AdIn a report in USA Today, executive director Mike Davis reportedly said the USGA “can’t get out of this” and that Trump was “going to sue us” if it made a switch.
Three Scots - Catriona Matthew, Carly Booth and Kelsey MacDonald - are in the field at Trump Bedminster.
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Scotland set out in Austria today chasing a hat-trick of title triumphs in the European Men’s Team Championship.
The event at Diamond Golf Resort starts with two rounds of stroke-play, with the top eight teams qualifying for the main match-play flight.
Scotland’s six-man side is headed by Glencruitten left-hander Robert MacIntyre and Connor Syme of Drumoig.
Syme, a member of the winning teams in Sweden and France over the past two years, heads into the event on the back of having qualified for next week’s Open at Royal Birkdale.
The women’s equivalent also starts today in Portugal, as do the boys’ and girls’ events in Spain and Finland respectively.
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Former Solheim Cup player Trish Johnson is four shots clear of the field after the opening round of the Senior LPGA Championship.
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Hide AdThe English player carded a five-under-par 67 at Frech Lick Resort in Indiana, where she made light of winds gusting to more than 30mph.
“I’m feeling very happy,” said Johnson afterwards. “The score reflected how I played. It was a tough day, but I struck the ball really nicely and the wind didn’t affect me too much.”
American Carolyn Hill sits seccond, a shot ahead of Marilyn Lovander, World Golf Hall-of-Famer Betsy King in a three-way tie for fourth.
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Paul Lawrie beat his 2012 Ryder Cup team-mate Nicolas Colsaerts in the latest Farmfoods Challenge Match, staged this year at the two Paul Lawrie Golf Centres in the north-east.
The clash was all square after nine holes at the centre at Ardoe on the outskirts of Aberdeen before Lawrie went on to win by two holes after they moved on to the sister venue at Inchmarlo.
“Very enjoyable day,” said Lawrie on Facebook afterwards. “Nico was brilliant all day and thanks to all staff at both centres and to all the spectators who came along.”
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Sweden’s Alex Noren has been named the Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Month for May.
It follows his stunning final-round comeback in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, where he overturned a seven shot deficit with a closing ten under par round of 62 to win the inaugural Rolex Series event by two shots.
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Hide AdNewmachar pro Greg McBain joined forces with club member Andrew Chan to win the second Scottish qualifier in this year’s Lombard Trophy.
The duo shot an eight-under-par 63 at Crieff to a trip to Algarve in September for the final.