And Then Phil Gave Barack A Tip...
/That's a nod to the late Don Wade's book series and just a joke, as Phil Mickelson only gave President Barack Obama a bunker play tip.
Reports John Strege.
Obama also thanked Phil Mickelson for providing him a tip on bunker play. “I’m pretty sure I can shave at least two or three strokes if I can just get out of the darn sand," he said.
Every member of the U.S. team, including Mickelson and Tiger Woods, were in attendance, as were several members of the International team. Mickelson and his family flew in just for the occasion. Woods is returning to competitive golf on Thursday in the first round of the Quicken Loans National at nearby Congressional Country Club.
The GolfDigest.com Loop item has numerous photos as well, all crying out for thought bubbles.
Jay Coffin notes this about the President's remarks:
On Tuesday, Obama was flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner, both avid golfers. Obama jokingly introduced them as “two of my favorite golf partners.”
Obama says that he needs strokes from Biden and Boehner when they play, but hopes that the “excellent tip” from Mickelson may help narrow the gap.
Reuters noted the "rare joint appearance" by Boehner and Obama.
**Jeff Ritter with an on-site report capturing the scene.
Before the ceremony, guests strolled the halls, mingling and gawking at the scene. The charming Jacqueline Kennedy Garden was right out the ground-floor window. On the second floor a live band strummed away and three adjacent sitting rooms – the Green Room, Blue Room and Red Room -- were open. The central Blue Room’s window faces straight down to the iron gates that open to Pennsylvania Avenue. Seeing such a familiar scene from reverse –- this time from inside the White House -- was surreal. A few players knocked on the glass, which must have been a foot thick, and marveled at the view.
Soon it was time to grab a chair. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are seated in the East Room,” said a square-jawed gentleman standing just outside one of the White House’s most famous ballrooms. Rows of stiff, wood-backed chairs lined the chamber. The doorman wore a dapper suit. He also wore an earpiece. His words weren’t what you typically hear in day-to-day life, so they stuck. The East Room.
**The Washington Post's Dana Milbank kind of takes Obama to task for all of his golf, and then he kind of doesn’t. Ultimately, I’m not sure what his point was, but it’s fascinating to read how the Beltway insiders view the game in general.
