Legendary golf coach Butch Harmon just delivered a pretty blunt assessment, stating that President Trump will likely never become a member of Augusta National, the home of the Masters. Harmon’s comments come amid long-standing rumors about President Trump’s desire to join the exclusive, green-jacketed club, which has been seen as an extension of his well-known obsession with golf.
According to the Daily Mail, Harmon, who has known President Trump for decades, didn’t pull any punches when asked why the president hasn’t found his way into the secretive club. “I think you can answer that yourself, because he’s Trump,” Harmon said in a recent interview. He believes President Trump’s personality simply isn’t a good fit for the Augusta membership.
“I think he is who he is. He’s full of himself. He’s the type of person that I don’t think fits the profile of an Augusta member,” Harmon explained. He’s known President Trump practically his whole life, tracing back to when President Trump’s father was a member at Winged Foot, where Harmon’s own father was the head professional. Harmon emphasized that “what you see is what you get with him,” and that his personality just doesn’t mesh with that particular club’s vibe.
Not even being president gets you in there
He also clarified that being president doesn’t automatically qualify someone, pointing out that other presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama played golf but weren’t members. While records show he played golf a total of 293 days at a total cost of $151.5 million to taxpayers, Harmon suggests the issue isn’t about the frequency of play but the fit. “I think it’s just his personality doesn’t mix with that particular club,” Harmon added.
This discussion about President Trump’s potential visit comes after his appearance at the Ryder Cup last autumn, which reportedly caused organizational chaos. His presence at Bethpage Black certainly seemed to ramp up the patriotic fervor, contributing to some truly regrettable crowd scenes throughout the weekend. That kind of behavior at the Ryder Cup has even influenced commentators. Harmon’s fellow pundit, Ewen Murray, cited the fan conduct in New York as a reason for his decision to retire.
Harmon, who will be part of the commentary team for the Masters, has now shared that his own apprehension about what might happen next prompted him to skip the 2025 Ryder Cup. “I thought the Ryder Cup was disgusting. It was embarrassing being an American,” Harmon stated. He expressed his love for the Ryder Cup, calling it his favorite event to broadcast, and had originally planned to work with the team, especially since he’s from New York. He ultimately decided to pull out for that main reason.
Harmon felt that too much time would be spent discussing unruly fans rather than the golf itself, and he didn’t want to be part of that. “Because as an American, I know those of you who have listened to me on TV, I’m very honest when I say stuff, and I was just afraid I would get a little carried away in a negative portion, so I didn’t think I would add a lot to commentary,” he explained. He clearly hated the way things went down, calling it “a terrible embarrassment for the United States.”
He’s hoping it never happens again. Harmon contrasted this with Augusta, praising its “best-behaved patrons in all of golf.” Shifting gears to this year’s Masters, Harmon has thrown his weight behind Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Justin Rose as top contenders. He considers McIlroy and Scheffler the number one and two players in the world, respectively.
While McIlroy is the defending champion, Harmon noted that the pressure might actually be less this year since he already has a win under his belt. “I think we’re going to see a more a more relaxed Rory there this year,” Harmon predicted, adding that McIlroy’s game is trending in a good direction and reminds him of Tiger Woods at that course.
Harmon also highlighted Justin Rose, who has been a runner-up three times in his 21 Masters appearances. Rose recently won the Farmers Insurance Open in February, and Harmon believes he’s playing his best golf in a long time. “He just tore apart a very hard course, Torrey Pines, very easily and has gained some distance with his driver,” Harmon observed.
Rose is playing with a tremendous amount of confidence and has a strong track record at Augusta, making him a solid pick if you’re looking beyond the top two favorites.
Published: Apr 6, 2026 03:30 pm