As they hit the fairways and greens together, Rory McIlroy shared what he and President Donald Trump discussed.
His inner circle warned PGA Tour stars after the 35-year-old recently made headlines with his incredible triumph at the Masters, completing a career Grand Slam that had been planned for 17 years. While Donald Trump invited the Ohio State football team to the White House on Monday and devised a ridiculous scheme to make himself appear taller, McIlroy celebrated his victory with his loved ones.
McIlroy had experience under pressure before his Masters victory. He played golf with President Trump back in January 2017 while being watched by a close-knit security group that included snipers and secret service officials.
Reflecting on the experience, McIlroy said: “To go there and see 30 secret service and 30 cops and snipers in the trees, it’s just – I mean, it was just a surreal experience for me to see something like that.
Donald Trump and Rory McIlroy used to be good friends. Back in 2015 at the WGC Cadillac golf tournament at Trump Doral GC, Rory threw his 3-iron into the water after a bad shot. Trump famously sent a diver to retrieve it later that night. Trump returned it to him the next day.… pic.twitter.com/X5zOUzz0ZQ
— A little bit of everything (@ALBOE1776) April 13, 2025
“That was part of the reason I wanted to go and play. If it had been [Barack] Obama I would have gone to play. I’ve played golf with President Clinton, I’ve spent time with President Bush.
“I’ve been around quite a few presidents before and again, like putting beliefs and whatever to one side, I just wanted to have an experience that I might not ever get [again]; play golf with a sitting president. You can respect the guy, not respect the guy, I don’t care, but if someone has a chance to play in that scenario and just sort of experience the whole thing… it’s not as if we were speaking foreign policy out there.”
Emphasizing the topics that the two golf enthusiasts truly discussed, he clarified (via the Mirror): “We were talking about golf and the grass that he put on the greens and the grass that he’s putting on the greens at [Trump-owned] Doral. We talked golf the entire day.
“I think he was happier to talk about golf than anything else that he has to do these days. I’m not an American. I can’t change the way the political system or what’s going to happen. I can’t vote.”
McIlroy faced criticism from some fans for accepting Trump’s invitation, given his politics while in office – expressing regret for any offense caused. He said: “I’m sorry if I p—-d people off but I felt I was in a position where I couldn’t really do anything but say ‘yes’.
“Respect the office even if you don’t respect the guy that’s in it, go play and go from there. I actually enjoyed myself, I had a good time. Yes I was a little bit taken aback by the blow back I received but I get why.
“It’s a tough place to be in, it’s a tough position, and maybe if I look back on it I put myself in a position where I was going to get that from either side one way or the other. I was just doing what I felt was respectful and the president of the United States phones you up and wants to play golf with you.”
Donald Trump speaks out on Rory McIlroy’s Masters win and spots something ‘only golfers’ would understand https://t.co/PkWQB1adES via @Yahoo
— chander malhotra(writer/moon/cloud/guitar/photos!) (@chandleur) April 15, 2025
With his historic victory on Sunday, McIlroy became one of just six golfers to complete a career Grand Slam and won his first Masters championship. Finished regular play tied with Justin Rose at 11-under-par, and the two again faced off in a sudden-death play-off on the 18th hole.
Within two strokes, both men reached the green, but McIlroy drained his own three-footer to win the title, while Rose’s 15-foot putt for birdie went to the right. Following his victory, McIlroy expressed his delight in his achievement in an interview conducted in the Butler Cabin, saying: “I’m so proud to call myself a Masters champion, I couldn’t be more proud of myself.
“This is my 17th time here and I’ve wondered if it would ever be my time. With the burden of the grand slam on me, I wonder what we’ll all talk about going into next year’s Masters.
“I just want to say hello to my mum and dad, they’re back home in Northern Ireland… I just can’t wait to go home and celebrate this with them.”
