Farmingdale, New York —

The first tee box at any Ryder Cup is one of the premier experiences in sports: A massive grandstand packed to the gills with golf fans practically exploding with patriotic pride, chanting and singing for their favorite players.

Tucked in among those screaming thousands is the golfer-in-chief: President Donald Trump.

In his latest appearance at a major sporting event, the president is attending an event that will tug at the very fiber of his being. It’s his favorite sport at its most nationalistic as 12 players from the USA take on 12 players from Team Europe in a match play tournament for golfing supremacy. On top of that, this year’s tournament is at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, on Long Island – a place near and dear to any Empire State golfer, even one like the president who hasn’t played a public track like the fabled Black course in many, many years.

It’s a sort of perfect Trump stew: It’s a high-profile tournament that pits the US against Europe in his favorite sport at a hallowed course in Trump’s home state, just an hour or so away from the Queens neighborhoods where he grew up. Oh, and it’s a place that voted for him heavily in 2024.

Trump attends a LIV Golf event in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2023. Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Unlike many of his predecessors, Trump’s presence at the nation’s most high-profile sporting events is starting to feel like a normal occurrence. While Team USA will already be highly motivated to reclaim the Ryder Cup after a drubbing in 2023, captain Keegan Bradley noted that Trump’s attendance is goin