'Winner Gets The Oval Office' - Golf Twitter Had A Field Day After Trump And Biden Row Over Golf Handicaps

Joe Biden and Donald Trump have traded plenty of insults in the past, but it really got personal this time as they rowed over their golfing ability during the first presidential debate

Donald Trump and Joe Biden
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Taxes, immigration, foreign affairs - we expect all these topics to come up during the USA presidential debate, but we never thought we'd see Joe Biden and Donald Trump arguing over golf in front of a nationwide TV audience.

Golf's everywhere, the great leveller of a sport, and now it's even caused a huge stir in the battle for the White House after the two hopefuls clashed on TV.

Bitter clashes and bickering is to be expected on these debates, and insults are often traded about the opposition's ability to be President of the USA - but bickering about their golfing ability is a new one.

With Biden aged 81 and Trump just turned 78, questions have been raised about age being a factor, but Trump used his golfing ability to prove that he was very much in shape.

"I just won two club championships, not even senior, two regular club championships," Trump claimed on the CNN debate.

"To do that you have to be quite sharp and hit the ball a long way and I do it. He [Biden] doesn't do it. He can't hit a ball 50 yards.

"He challenged me to a golf match. He can't hit the ball 50 yards."

Biden responded by claiming he got his handicap down to six during his spell as Barak Obama's Vice President - and also issued a golfing challenge of his own to his adversary to prove his fitness.

"Look, I'd be happy to have a driving contest with him. I got my handicap when I was vice president down to a six," said Biden.

"I told you before, I'd be happy to play golf if you carry your own bag, you think you can do it?"

Trump did not respond to the challenge, but instead after a derisory chuckle he rubbished Biden's handicap claims.

"That's the biggest lie, that he's a six handicapper, of all," said Trump. "I've seen your swing, I know your swing."

The surprising focus on golf provoked plenty of reaction both from mainstream and social media, from inside the golfing world and out.

One golf fan proposed a special edition of The Match only this time instead of Tiger Woods versus Phil Mickelson or Peyton Manning versus Tom Brady we have Trump against Biden with the winner getting to be President.

Golf bloggers and podcasters could hardly believe that the two men vying to be leader of the United States had been stood on national television arguing over their golfing prowess.

Golf broadcaster Jason Sobel tried to offer some clarity on the handicapping saga with evidence of rounds played by the two where Trump had a handicap index of 2.5 and Biden 6.7.

Watch the full clip below as the US Presidential election debate turns into a row about golf...

Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.