Tiger Woods of the United States hits his tee shot on the 13th hole during the final round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany, The Bahamas on December 4, 2016 in Nassau, Bahamas. Christian Petersen/Getty Images/AFP
Tiger Woods said Thursday he was impressed with how far US President-elect Donald Trump can hit a golf ball at age 70 in his first public comments about the December 23 round.
The two played at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach about three weeks after Woods, a 14-time major champion and former world number one, made his comeback from a 16-month layoff following back surgery.
“What most impressed me was how far he hits the ball at 70 years old,” Woods said in a posting on his website blog. “He takes a pretty good lash.”
Woods didn’t go into details about conversations with Trump, purportedly a 2.8 handicapper, over the South Florida layout.
“Our discussion topics were wide-ranging; it was fun,” Woods said. “We both enjoyed the bantering, bickering and needling. I also shared my vision for golf and what I’m trying to do.”
Woods made it sound like he didn’t take any money off Trump, who is set to be inaugurated as the 45th US President on January 20.
“We didn’t have a match and played for fun,” Woods said. “I was testing drivers and fairway woods and changed some settings. I think he enjoyed seeing the difference in shots when you experiment.”
Woods has some knowledge about US Presidents and their golf games. The 79-time PGA Tour winner played alongside current US President Barack Obama in February 2013 and has also played alongside two other former US leaders.
“I’ve now had the privilege of playing golf with Mr. Trump, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and I appreciate the opportunity,” Woods said.
Woods also recounted how Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan was co-opted by the US Ryder Cup team to give him a personal boost during his layoff when he served as assistant captain last September, helping the team beat Europe at Hazeltine to reclaim the trophy.
Woods noted every player was wearing a jacket with a red T-shirt underneath.
“They all stood, unzipped the front, and the T-shirt read, ‘MAKE TIGER GREAT AGAIN,'” Woods said.