The harrowing assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump Saturday was a gut-wrenching experience for just about everyone involved, and for all who witnessed it.
But for Trump himself, as well as his loved ones, the scene on that stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, was obviously a life-changing one.
And those profound effects were also felt among some of Trump’s closest friends.
One such friend opened up to BBC Sport that the assassination attempt left a physical impression on him.
Golf superstar Tiger Woods, who was flying from Florida to Scotland for a tournament when the incident occurred, opened up to BBC Sport that he couldn’t sleep because of how shaken he was.
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“I didn’t accomplish a lot because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind,” Woods told the outlet.
Woods didn’t “accomplish a lot” at the Sunday practice round preceding the forthcoming 152nd British Open, and he had no problem admitting what he stayed up doing.
“It was a long night [because of the assassination attempt] and that’s all we watched the entire time on the way over here,” Woods said.
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Apparently, Woods’ sleepless night gave way almost immediately to that practice round.
“I didn’t sleep at all on the flight, and then we just got on the golf course,” he said.
Woods, who is battling back from a catastrophic injury, mostly discussed The Open itself in the rest of the interview, but it’s clear just how shaken he was by the attempt.
And it makes sense.
Woods and Trump are well-known friends and admirers of each other, as well as longtime golfing buddies — predating Trump’s time as president.
CNN even described them as “long-time friends” when it covered Trump awarding Woods the Medal of Freedom in May 2019.
While Woods and Trump are clearly good friends, it’s worth noting that Trump appears to share a rather high approval rating with golfers in general.
Trump — a noted fan of the sport — once received a ringing endorsement from Jack Nicklaus in 2020. Many consider Nicklaus to be the greatest golfer of all time.
A couple of months before that, Jim Herman won the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina. After winning that tournament, Herman credited Trump for his start in golf. Herman also said he was a frequent golfing buddy of the former president.
