NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Golf

Golf makes live return but Donald Trump appearance is slammed

NZ Herald
17 May, 2020 08:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

US president Donald Trump joins the broadcast of the TaylorMade Driving Relief event. Photo / NBC

US president Donald Trump joins the broadcast of the TaylorMade Driving Relief event. Photo / NBC

Live golf returned to television today with pros Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff squaring off in a Covid-19 charity event in Florida.

Due to the pandemic and strict guidelines, there were no caddies with the players carrying their own bags for the TaylorMade Driving Relief event while a rules official was the only person to handle the flagstick.

The event is the first live action golf on TV since the opening round of The Players Championship on March 12 and many golf fans were happy to see the sport return.

That was until host broadcaster NBC interviewed US President Donald Trump during the round, who has been widely panned for his handling of the Covid-19 crisis. More than 89,000 deaths have been confirmed across the US.

"This is the beginning of live events. We want to get sports back. We miss sports. We need sports in terms of the psyche of our country. That's what we're doing. We're getting it back," Trump said in an interview with host Mike Tirico.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But seemed many had already tuned out.

Brutal job by @NBCGolf for bringing on Trump. We wanted sports not politics. Turning off. #DrivingRelief

— MrTomatoHead (@BlakePierre6) May 17, 2020

NBC: “Here is some golf to help distract you from the world and politics”

Also NBC: “Here is President Trump to talk about politics during golf”#DrivingRelief

— Pat (@pattbb8) May 17, 2020

I looked forward all week to this #DrivingRelief challenge for the return of live sport.

Donald Trump has just massively spoiled that, by calling in for a quick interview with the usual nonsense.

Not like he should managing a country through a pandemic...

— Stevie Henning (@steviehenning) May 17, 2020

@realDonaldTrump to @KingJames and @Kaepernick7: STICK TO SPORTS!

But also let me pop into the #DrivingRelief broadcast and spew some talking points

— Ell Tzee Dub (@lieutenantDUB21) May 17, 2020

#DrivingRelief I was enjoying a nice day of watching golf and a live sports event on TV and then you wreck the whole damn thing by putting @realDonaldTrump on Why?? There would be a full course of fans and golfers if not for this moron. @NBCSports I’m done watching

— Timmy'O (@TimsConcerts) May 17, 2020

Everyone during #DrivingRelief: Please get Bill Murray off commentary, it’s a disaster

Donald Trump: Hold my beer

— Gunnar Davis (@Gunnar57Davis) May 17, 2020

Ok everyone trump is off the screen. You can now continue to watch the golf now! #DrivingRelief

— Katie Pruss (@kp_hockeygirl92) May 17, 2020

The relevant outcome of today's event is money for coronavirus relief. UnitedHealth Group is pledging US$3 million. McIlroy and Johnson's "earnings" go to the American Nurses Foundation. Fowler and Wolff are playing for the CDC Foundation. Farmers Insurance is pledging US$1 million toward birdies and eagles that goes to healthcare workers, and PGA Tour Charities has an online donation program during the telecast.

The PGA Tour has had 10 tournaments canceled or postponed since the last one completed, the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Discover more

World

'Covid toes': Latest possible rare coronavirus signs

17 May 09:30 PM
World

Trump's son claims coronavirus will 'magically disappear' after US election

17 May 10:38 PM
Golf

Meet golf's new Happy Gilmore

18 May 07:45 PM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Golf

Golf

'Exhausted all options': Ryan Fox on strange finish to brutal US Open

18 Jun 10:00 PM
Golf

Ko hints at Olympic future ahead of shot at grand slam

18 Jun 03:31 AM
Premium
New Zealand

Big venues, big money: The young golf champ hitting the Australian PGA tour

16 Jun 05:00 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Golf

'Exhausted all options': Ryan Fox on strange finish to brutal US Open

'Exhausted all options': Ryan Fox on strange finish to brutal US Open

18 Jun 10:00 PM

Fox finished T19 at Oakmont and heads into a limited field event this week in good form.

Ko hints at Olympic future ahead of shot at grand slam

Ko hints at Olympic future ahead of shot at grand slam

18 Jun 03:31 AM
Premium
Big venues, big money: The young golf champ hitting the Australian PGA tour

Big venues, big money: The young golf champ hitting the Australian PGA tour

16 Jun 05:00 PM
Teeing off: Kiwi pro golfer’s big shot

Teeing off: Kiwi pro golfer’s big shot

Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP