President Donald Trump suggested that his very appearance at the Ryder Cup golf competition on Friday could aid American golfers as they faced Team Europe at New York’s Bethpage Black Course.
But his hopes of being a good luck charm seemingly got stuck in a bunker by the end of the first day of play.
Trump — in remarks to reporters after landing at nearby Republic Airport on Long Island — noted that the U.S. team was “not doing so well” as they lost the first three matches and were tied in a fourth match upon his arrival.
“We’ll get it done, one way or the other, we’ll get it done,” said Trump, who added that he looked to give a Knute Rockne-like pep talk to the golfers.
Trump — who attended the Ryder Cup with his granddaughter, Kai — was largely greeted by cheers from the crowd, chants of “USA” and a military flyover.
The Americans would win the fourth match of the day — a foursome where two golfers from each squad alternate between shots on one team ball until each hole is complete.
By the end of the day’s action, Team Europe led the U.S. squad by a score of 5.5 to 2.5 points. The Europeans need 8.5 more points to retain the Ryder Cup while the Americans need 12 points to win.
The rough start for the Americans saw Scottie Scheffler with the worst Ryder Cup opening day for a world No. 1 golfer since Tiger Woods in 2002, NBC Sports noted.
Trump’s Ryder Cup appearance adds to a growing list of sporting events he’s attended in his second term, most recently a visit to Yankee Stadium to watch the New York baseball team face the Detroit Tigers on the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Trump — who has inaccurately claimed that the Yankees win every time he goes to a game — declared that the team was on the verge of missing the playoffs before they went on a hot streak and tied for first in their division since his visit.
“We have to do the same thing over here but I think we’ll be OK,” he said of the U.S. team on Friday.