Donald Trump tees off at LIV Golf pro-am event
Eric Trump is also competing at the LIV Golf pro-am event
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former President Trump teed off at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. Thursday morning for the LIV Golf pro-am event ahead of the Saudi-backed league’s third tournament of the season this weekend.
Trump took a few practice swings before being met with a round of applause as he teed off on the first hole of the event where he will play alongside his son Eric Trump, 24-time PGA Tour winner Dustin Johnson and 2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau.
Former U.S. President Trump watches his shot from the first tee during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
Other names featured on the official pro-am list include Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner and Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trump and former first lady Melania Trump attended the LIV Golf welcome party at Gotham Hall in Manhattan Wednesday night where the former president was spotted talking to LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.
Despite the tour’s ties to Saudi Arabia, Trump has hailed the new league as "one of the hottest things to have happened in sports."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, talks with former U.S. President Trump on the first tee during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
"I do think that the publicity that they’ve gotten, more than anything, has been a great thing for them," Trump said Monday during an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "I think the publicity they’ve gotten is worth billions of dollars. It’s one of the hottest things to have happened in sports, and sports is a big part of life."
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Earlier this month, Trump warned PGA Tour loyalists over a potential missed opportunity.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Former U.S. President Trump looks on from the practice range during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
LIV Golf offers a $25 million purse with a $4 million winner’s share and a $5 million prize for the winning team at each event. Players like Johnson and DeChambeau have also been given lucrative signing bonuses.
Former U.S. President Trump talks with team captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC on the practice range during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Charles Laberge/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Wednesday, LIV Golf announced its 2023 schedule which includes 14 tournaments and a total purse of $405 million.
Fox News’ Joe Morgan contributed to this report.