Nicolai Haugsted
Trump’s latest golf win comes with a statistic that’s hard to ignore.
Donald Trump is celebrating yet another golf tournament victory, but the score attached to his latest triumph has sparked fresh debate among golf followers after details from the leaderboard surfaced online.
The U.S. president claimed victory at the Senior Men’s Club Championship at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, where he announced that he finished with a score of 70.
Score raises eyebrows
Trump shared his victory on Truth Social shortly after the tournament.
“Thank you very much to all of those who participated. I won with a score of 70, and am so honored in that, unlike the rest of the field, I’m given very little time to practice, because I’m so focused on many other things. It’s called TALENT, and I have it, and they don’t!”
While Trump referred to the result as a score of 70, footage of the tournament leaderboard posted on Instagram by fellow competitor Philip Zamloot showed the president listed with a gross score of 70.
That detail immediately drew attention because Bedminster is a par-72 course. A gross score of 70 means completing the course two strokes under par without relying on any handicap adjustment — a level of golf typically associated with elite players.
Golf distinguishes between gross and net scores. A gross score reflects every stroke taken during a round, while a net score subtracts a player’s handicap.
And people in the comment section have also taken notice, calling out the president for cheating and lying:
“Pathetic that he thinks we believe it” one comment sayd, with another adding:
“This literally mirrors North Korea propaganda”
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Other scores add context
Zamloot’s own score appeared next on the leaderboard with a gross 77, making it the second-best total shown.
According to reports, Trump’s latest victory pushes his total number of club championship wins beyond 40.
His success, however, has continued to generate discussion among critics, some of whom have questioned why so many of those victories have come at courses he owns.
Sportswriter Rick Reilly, author of Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, has previously been highly critical of the president’s golfing reputation.
“When it comes to cheating, he’s an 11 on a scale of one to 10.”
Despite Trump’s claim that he has little time to practice, reports indicate he has spent 115 days playing golf since returning to office on January 20, 2025, including 38 rounds during the current year alone.
Last year’s Bedminster championship produced another eye-catching score. Trump reportedly finished with a gross 69 and a net 67 while playing off a handicap of two. The next-lowest gross score on that leaderboard belonged to amateur golfer Terry Conley, who carded a 79.
