Golf legend reveals why Donald Trump will never be welcome at Augusta National… despite his desperate attempts to join sport’s most elite club

Butch Harmon this week backed Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Justin Rose as excellent candidates for Augusta National, but he’ll never say the same about Donald Trump. His expectation is that the US president will never become a member.

It has long been said that Trump’s interest in joining the green jacket elite is an extension of his passion for golf.

But Harmon, the respected coach who has known Trump for decades, flatly rejected that possibility in a wide-ranging interview with British journalists.

When asked why Trump did not join this secret club, 82-year-old Harmon replied: ‘You can answer that yourself, because he is Trump.

‘I think about who he is. He is full of himself. He’s the kind of person that I don’t think fits the profile of an Augusta member. I’ve known him my whole life, because his father was a member of Winged Foot (where Harmon’s father, Claude, was the head pro), so I’ve known Donald pretty much my whole life.

‘What you see is what you get with it. And I don’t think his personality fits his membership at Augusta.

Many believe he will never be given a place alongside Georgia’s green jacket elite

‘I don’t think that (being president) has anything to do with it, because there were a lot of other presidents who played golf and they’re not members. Clinton, Obama, they played golf. I don’t think his personality fits well with that club. This is as politically correct as it gets.’

It is not yet known whether Trump, who caused turmoil in the organization with his visit to the Ryder Cup last fall, will make a surprise visit to this year’s tournament. His presence undoubtedly fueled the patriotic frenzy that spread over the weekend to the embarrassing crowd scenes at Bethpage Black.

Since that episode, Harmon’s Sky Sports pundit Ewen Murray has stated that the behavior of fans in New York accelerated his decision to retire.

Harmon, who will commentate on behalf of the broadcaster at the Masters, explained that concerns about what would happen now led to the decision to cancel the 2025 Ryder Cup.

He said: ‘I thought the Ryder Cup was disgusting. It was a shame to be an American. I love the Ryder Cup, it’s my favorite thing to broadcast and being from New York I had planned to work with the Sky team but decided to pull out for this main reason.

Butch Harmon, who has known Trump for many years, says he ‘does not fit the profile’

Trump appeared at the Ryder Cup in New York before the atmosphere got too ugly

‘I felt like we would spend more time talking about the unruly behavior of fans rather than golf and I didn’t feel like I wanted to be a part of it. Because as an American, I know those of you who listen to me on TV, I’m very honest when I say things, and I was afraid of getting caught up in a negative part, so I didn’t think I’d add much to the comments.

‘I’m disgusted that it happened this way. But that’s the beauty of Augusta. These are the golf world’s best-behaved customers. I hated the way things were going in the Ryder Cup. I thought this was a terrible shame for the United States of America, and let’s hope it never happens again.’

Harmon, meanwhile, has backed Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler to be the favorites despite Scheffler not having a winner since his victory at American Express in January. McIlroy was tied for 46th in the Players Championship and withdrew the previous week with a back injury.

Harmon said: ‘They are the number one and number two players in the world and Rory is the defending champion. I will also look at Justin Rose, who is a three-time runner-up and this is his 21st Masters (he won the Farmers Insurance Open in February).

‘I think it’s the best performance he’s had in a long time. He tore up a very tough course like Torrey Pines very easily and gained some distance with his driver. He plays with tremendous confidence and, as we know, has a good track record here. So for me, if you’re looking for someone outside of the two favorites, I’d say that person.’

Trump takes a shot with his grandson Kai (left) in Doral, Florida

McIlroy’s struggles are arguably exacerbated by what is perceived as the defending champion’s curse; only Tiger Woods, Sir Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus have successfully defended the title.

Harmon believes McIlroy could be the first since Woods in 2002. He said: ‘There is more pressure on him to have a chance to defend his title. But I don’t think he’ll be as nervous as most people think because he won last year and has put that adversity off his back. I think we’ll see a more relaxed Rory there this year.

‘His game is starting to go in a good direction. He reminds me of Tiger on the golf course. He has the talent and the way he drives the ball to take over the golf course.

“I think we’ll see a Rory who doesn’t need to put pressure on himself to win this thing and get to the Grand Slam.” So I think it will be in his best interest, I think he will be able to relax and play to the best of his ability.’

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