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The 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black is expected to bring in more than 250,000 fans, with golf supporters from around the world heading to Farmingdale for the biennial event. US President Donald Trump will also attend on Friday’s opening day.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the event is only happening because of Trump’s executive order that stopped a planned Long Island Rail Road strike, which could have disrupted transport.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Leavitt confirmed Trump’s attendance and his role in resolving the issue. She said:
“On Friday, the president will travel to Long Island for the Ryder Cup golf match between the United States and Europe. This event is one of the greatest sporting events in the world and it would not be taking place this year without President Trump's help."
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She said that President Trump had signed an executive order the previous week to stop a strike that could have severely disrupted the New York City area before the tournament, and that the decision came at the request of the five labor unions representing Long Island Rail Road workers.
Golfers comment on Donald Trump's presence at the Ryder Cup
One of the key members of the US team at the Ryder Cup will be LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau. Leavitt explained that he had thanked Trump for his intervention.
Leavitt quoted the two-time US Open champion, saying:
“Thanks to President Trump’s decisive leadership, the Ryder Cup experience will be everything fans and the golf community deserve.”
DeChambeau is not the only American player to praise Trump. On Tuesday, Scottie Scheffler told reporters at Bethpage Black. Scheffler mentioned that the president was kind of funny, that he loved the game of golf, enjoyed supporting golfers, and that sometimes he received a call or a text from him after wins. He said:
"He just loves the game of golf, and he’s one of those guys when you’re around him, he does such a good job of, like, feeding confidence into everybody around him. That was one of the things I noticed a lot with the little bit of time I spent with him, is he treats everybody the same and treats people with the utmost respect."
Scheffler said that whether it was someone serving them lunch, a caddie on the course, or the president of the club they were at, Trump treated everyone as if they were the greatest person in the world. He added:
"I don’t think he has any plans to address us as a team, but I’m sure if things go well, we’ll hear from him this week.”
Last week, Trump signed an executive order to set up a Presidential Emergency Board to "investigate disputes" between the Long Island Rail Road and the unions. This delayed the threat of strike action for several months.
