Rory McIlroy responds to Trump backlash

MEXICO CITY — It’s not as if we were speaking about foreign policy.

That’s what Rory McIlroy said Tuesday when asked about the backlash he received after playing a round of golf Feb. 19 with President Trump in Florida. McIlroy received so much criticism that he took to Twitter to explain his decision to play with Trump.

“Obviously we know how the campaign went and how divisive it was. But I just approached it as a round of golf and putting all … anyone's beliefs or politics or whatever, just put that to one side for a minute,” McIlroy said after a practice round ahead of Thursday’s start of the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. Ironically, this tournament was played at Trump National Doral for four years before moving to Mexico when the tournament procured a new sponsor.

“I wanted to go there and see 30 Secret Service and 30 cops and snipers in the trees. I mean, it was just a surreal experience for me to see something like that. That was part of the reason I wanted to go and play,” McIlroy said. “ … It's not as if we were speaking foreign policy out there. We were talking about golf and the grass that he put on the greens and the grass that he's putting on the greens at Doral. We talked golf the entire day. I think he was happier to talk golf than anything else that he has to do these days.”

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McIlroy, who said neither he nor Trump posted a score that day because each picked up the ball on a few holes, has also played golf with President Clinton. He would have played with President Obama if asked, and has spent time talking with President Bush.

“I just wanted to have an experience that I mightn't ever get, like play golf with a sitting president,” McIlroy said. “You can respect the guy, not respect the guy, I don't care, but if someone has a chance to play in that scenario and just sort of experience the whole thing, I did it. ...

“I was a little bit taken aback by the blow-back I received, but I get why. I get the divisive rhetoric and everything that was said.  It's a tough place to be in, it's a tough position. But again, I was just doing what I felt was respectful and the president of the United States phones you up and wants to play golf with you, you know, I wasn't going to say no. ...

“But look, it is what it is and I actually enjoyed myself, I had a good time. I'm sorry if I sort of, I don't know, pissed people off, but I felt I was in a position where I couldn't really do anything but say yes, respect the office even if you don't respect the guy that's in it, go play and go from there.”