US Women’s Open at Trump National may be unpredictable

FILE - This Nov. 18, 2006 file photo shows Donald Trump, center, putting his hands on a box of money while posing for a photo with the eight golfers who qualified for the final round following the third round of the LPGA ADT Championship at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Also present, from left to right, are: Mi Hyun Kim, of South Korea, Natalie Gulbis and il Mi Chung, also of South Korea. The U.S. Women's Open will be played next week at a golf course in New Jersey owned by President Trump. The USGA awarded the site in 2012 and later came under pressure from women's groups and three Democratic U.S. senators to move the event because of Trump's comments about women and minorities. It's uncertain if the president will attend the tournament in Bedminster, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) FILE - This Nov. 18, 2006 file photo shows Donald Trump, center, putting his hands on a box of money while posing for a photo with the eight golfers who qualified for the final round following the third round of the LPGA ADT Championship at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Also present, from left to right, are: Mi Hyun Kim, of South Korea, Natalie Gulbis and il Mi Chung, also of South Korea. The U.S. Women's Open will be played next week at a golf course in New Jersey owned by President Trump. The USGA awarded the site in 2012 and later came under pressure from women's groups and three Democratic U.S. senators to move the event because of Trump's comments about women and minorities. It's uncertain if the president will attend the tournament in Bedminster, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

By Associated Press July 8, 2017 4 min read

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) – This U.S. Women’s Open is going to be unpredictable, and we’re not just talking about the golf.

The biggest event in women’s golf will share the spotlight with President Donald Trump. His Trump National Golf Club is the site of the tournament that starts Thursday and has no clear favorite. It’s uncertain whether Trump will attend the event, which runs through Sunday.

The USGA awarded the site in 2012 and later came under pressure from women’s groups and three Democratic U.S. senators – Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Edward Markey of Massachusetts, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania – to move the event because of Trump’s comments about women and minorities.

It refused, keeping it at the course located only a few miles from its headquarters in Far Hills.

“When we came here, this was all about coming to a great golf course and playing the greatest championship in women’s golf,” USGA executive director and chief executive Mike Davis said at a media day in May. “The USGA, since its founding in 1894, has never been involved with politics. Our focus is solely on the game of golf.”