Dustin Johnson and his brother, Austin, joined Donald Trump for a round of golf at Trump Palm Beach, a prestigious golf course in Florida. The Trump Palm Beach, designed by Jim Fazio, opened in 1999 as Trump’s first golf property. This 27-hole course reportedly cost around $40 million to develop.
The visit occurred just weeks after Donald Trump’s presidential election victory. A fan captured the moment, sharing a picture and video on X (formerly Twitter). In the video, Trump is seen driving a golf ball, with Dustin Johnson approaching to applaud, saying, “Oh, beauty there sir… Right down the middle.” The caption of the post read, “#NEW: LIV Golf star Dustin Johnson and his brother Austin teed it up today with President-elect Donald Trump at @TrumpPalmBeach.”
This wasn’t the first time Johnson had played golf with Trump. Before the 2022 LIV Golf Bedminster event, held on another Trump-owned course, Trump and his son Eric played alongside Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau during a pro-am event.
🚨🇺🇸⛳️ #NEW: LIV Golf star Dustin Johnson and his brother Austin teed it up today with President-elect Donald Trump at @TrumpPalmBeach.
(Via: austin_johnson12/IG) pic.twitter.com/XN4pLDyVy9
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) November 20, 2024
Trump has also weighed in on the ongoing tensions between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. He recently appeared on a podcast, where he expressed confidence in his ability to mediate the dispute. According to him, resolving the differences between the two organizations would take no more than 15 minutes. Discussions about a merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf began in 2022 but have yet to produce concrete results. While deadlines for the merger framework were initially set for December 2023 and later extended to April 2024, no agreements have been finalized.
Trump commented on the negotiations, saying he believes a deal will eventually come together and suggested he could play a key role in facilitating it. In a statement from 2022, he encouraged golfers to join LIV Golf, emphasizing the financial benefits offered by the Saudi-backed league. He argued that players remaining loyal to the PGA Tour risked being left behind in the event of a merger, while those who joined LIV Golf stood to benefit financially.
Trump’s involvement in the golf world extends beyond playing. After his election victory, he played a round of golf with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. Additionally, he has been spotted at high-profile sporting events, such as attending a UFC fight alongside Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which serves as the financial foundation of LIV Golf.