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New book reveals Donald Trump’s cheating addiction

Donald Trump has been accused of using his caddie to cheat.

Donald Trump has been accused of using his caddie to cheat. Photo: Getty

Fellow players have accused Donald Trump of being “the world’s worst cheat at golf” in an explosive new book that draws parallels between the US President’s on-course antics and his approach to the White House.

In Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly lifts the lid on Mr Trump’s playing style via a series of testimonials by dozens of professional golfers and celebrities who have played alongside the President.

Mr Trump has made golf a major symbol of his brand, both inside and outside of the White House, repeatedly using his own golf courses as a backdrop to media meetings and diplomacy.

The new book, to be released in the US on Tuesday local time, reveals that Mr Trump’s golfing history presents a world in which bravado overshadows the truth of the President’s claims.

And Mr Trump seemingly doesn’t care who is aware of the lengths he’ll take to win, openly cheating while playing with luminaries in film, golf, or music.

“To say ‘Donald Trump cheats’ is like saying ‘Michael Phelps swims,'” wrote Mr Reilly.

“He cheats at the highest level. He cheats when people are watching and he cheats when they aren’t. He cheats whether you like it or not. He cheats because that’s how he plays golf … if you’re playing golf with him, he’s going to cheat.”

Actor Samuel L Jackson, boxer Oscar de la Hoya and musician Alice Cooper claim to have first-hand knowledge of Mr Trump’s alleged tendency to exaggerate his own skills.

Mr Jackson was quoted as saying he “clearly saw him (the President) hook a ball into a lake … and his caddy told him he found it!”.

Suzann Pettersen, a multiple winner on the LPGA tour who has accused Mr Trump of cheating before, told Mr Reilly “no matter how far into the woods he hits the ball, it’s in the middle of the fairway when we get there”.

Ms Pettersen said she was convinced Mr Trump’s caddie facilitates his cheating.

Among the varied ways the President has got away with cheating, the book alleges Mr Trump’s caddie personally moves opponents’ balls and is trained to find his ball in the woods and throw it onto the fairway.

Speaking to Mr Reilly, the unnamed caddie recounted how he once placed pro-level player Brian Sullivan in a “full military chokehold” at a Trump golf course for dissing the President.

“Now, you listen to me, f—–! You’re not gonna come to Mr Trump’s course and eat Mr Trump’s food and then use the word ‘hate’ about my President. I won’t have it, you got me?,” he told Mr Reilly.

Former ESPN football announcer Mike Tirico said Mr Trump’s caddie pulled him aside after a game and told him Mr Trump had cheated.

Mr Tirico thought he had hit one of the best shots of his life but by the time he reached the green, his ball was about 50 feet from where he thought it had landed.

“Trump’s caddie came up to me and said, ‘You know that shot you hit on the par 5? It was about 10 feet from the hole. Trump threw it in the bunker. I watched him do it,’” he said.

Mr Reilly also reveals how Mr Trump’s former caddie, Dan Scavino, now plays a key role in the President’s prolific social media commentary.

Mr Scavino, Mr Trump’s social media director, was 16 years old when he met the President for the first time at a golf and country club in 1990, as a bag-carrier.

“But just think of it: Mr Trump’s Twitter feed is the most powerful pulpit on the globe, and Trump’s former golf caddie has his hands on it, daily,” Mr Reilly wrote.

“During his 2012 campaign, Mitt Romney had 22 people approve each tweet before it went out. During the day, Trump has two — himself and his caddie. At night, just one. That’s not going to change,” he added.

-With agencies

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