Donald Trump’s call out to golfing great Adam Scott may herald good news for Australia
Golf legend Bobby Jones once said, “golf is the closest game to the game we call life” and Australia’s top diplomats could do well to heed his words while tee-ing off with the new US President.
President Donald Trump gave top Australian golfer Adam Scott and his home country a surprise call out on Thursday while meeting with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) top brass at the White House, including Tiger Woods and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.
“We have Adam Scott here also. Winner of the Masters. One of the greatest golfers in the world,” Mr Trump said.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I’ve always tried to swing just like Adam. It never worked out that way.”
He added that he sees Scott as “sort of” American, reported Fox News.
“Adam, even though he doesn’t quite come from our country, he sort of does, right? He’s here a lot,” he said.
“He comes from another nice place like Australia, and they’ve been very, very good for us.”
The unexpected praise will be welcome news in Canberra, where the Government is on tenterhooks about winning an exemption from punishing steel and aluminium tariffs due to kick into force at an inopportune pre-election moment in March.
Australia has stressed Washington’s bilateral trade surplus and Canberra’s vital contribution to regional security in an effort to evade the levies.
Mr Trump’s seemingly random compliment may suggest the message is sinking in.
Coming on the back of golfing great Greg Norman’s recent bridge-building between Mr Trump and Australian ambassador Kevin Rudd, it could also offer diplomats and politicians a hint on how best to forge a connection with the US president.
“If I can just give one little bit of information to help two people get together, then I’m so proud to be able to do that,” Mr Norman recently told a dinner event in Washington to honour Australians who had helped foster closer bilateral ties.
Mr Norman, who lives in Florida, told The Australian Financial Review, Mr Trump had offered to make him a US citizen during a pre-election round of golf.
Dr Rudd, who has been trying to shake off any concerns about his previous criticisms of Mr Trump, briefly met with Mr Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, near his Mar-a-Lago estate, shortly before his inauguration.
It is not believed he played a round of golf. But he may want to polish off his irons to keep Australia out of the bunker.
