Protest of President Trump comes to U.S. Open
ERIN, Wisconsin — If you’d thought you could spend a politics-free afternoon by attending the U.S. Open in Middle Of Nowhere, Wisconsin, well, that’s wishful thinking anymore.
Midway through Round 3 on Saturday a plane began circling Erin Hills dragging a banner which read: “USGA/LPGA take a mulligan Dump Trump”. It’s a clear reference to next month’s U.S. Women’s Open, which is to be held at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
As a point of fact, the U.S. Women’s Open is not organized by the LPGA. It is a USGA event, which was awarded to Trump National six years ago, well before Donald Trump made his foray into politics.
Despite calls from the usual suspects on these sorts of things, the USGA has not bended on pressure to move the event.
“We’re a golf organization. We’re simply not going to cross that line into politics,” Mike Davis, executive director of the USGA, said in May. “I can appreciate that some people do. That’s what’s great about this country, that everyone has their own political views. We’re a golf association and we’re sticking to golf.”
The banner flying over Erin Hills is the work of a women’s group called UltraViolet, which announced its intentions on Friday. The plane circled outside the Erin Hills air space Saturday, making it difficult to make out what the banner actually read, hence the need for a circle on the picture above.
The U.S. Women’s Open is set to begin July 13.
