Trump’s Bedminster Golf Club Stripped of the Chance to Host the 2022 PGA Championship

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Of all of the consequences facing President Donald Trump after inciting his supporters to launch an insurrection on the U.S. Capitol — from the permanent suspension of his Twitter account, to the prospect of a second impeachment —  the commander in chief might find this one the most devastating. 

The PGA of America announced on Sunday night that next year’s championship will no longer be held at the president’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.

“The PGA of America Board of Directors voted tonight to exercise the right to terminate the agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster,” Jim Richerson, the president of PGA of America announced via its Twitter account.

“The PGA of America Board of Directors voted tonight to exercise the right to terminate the agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster.” — Jim Richerson, PGA of America President

— PGA of America (@PGA) January 11, 2021

The decision came after a vote on the fate of the 2022 PGA Championship, days after the riot in which a mob incited by Trump stormed the Capitol in an attempt to shut down the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Five people died in the violence.

“We find ourselves in a political situation not of our making,” PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh told the Associated Press. “We’re fiduciaries for our members, for the game, for our mission and for our brand. And how do we best protect that? Our feeling was given the tragic events of Wednesday that we could no longer hold it at Bedminster. The damage could have been irreparable. The only real course of action was to leave.”

For decades, Trump lobbied for one of his courses to hold a men’s major championship — either the U.S. Open, or the PGA Championship. The Bedminster facility has previously hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 2017. And some of his other courses have hosted majors for seniors and amateurs. 

But in 2014, the PGA of America gave Trump the prize he’d long coveted — the opportunity to host a PGA Championship.
 
“Having the PGA is a very, very big deal,” Trump said at a 2014 news conference. “So it’s very important to me. It’s a great honor for me and it’s a tremendous honor for both of those clubs.”