text: This weekend marks President Donald Trump’s third straight at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. | Getty White House reverses on Trump's golf game 
   
   President Donald Trump played a full round of golf Sunday, enjoying once again a habit he regularly assailed Barack Obama for. After initially saying Trump had only played a few holes, the White House reversed itself Monday after professional golfer Rory McIlroy posted on his website that he had played 18 holes with the president. 
   
   “As stated yesterday the President played golf. He intended to play a few holes and decided to play longer,” White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said Monday. “He also had a full day of meetings, calls and interviews for the new NSA, which he is continuing today before returning to Washington, D.C. tonight.” 
   
   Story Continued Below 
   
   This weekend marks Trump’s third straight at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, which he has taken to calling the “Winter White House.” 
   
   Trump regularly panned Obama for his penchant for hitting the links, but Trump made it to the golf course far faster than the previous two presidents, waiting just two weeks before playing his first round. Trump recently golfed with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and is expected to conduct more such golf diplomacy. 
   
   ||||| Donald Trump took to the golf course on Sunday. Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images News Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy played golf with Donald Trump at Trump International, Florida, on Sunday and has revealed that the president of the United States returned a score of "around 80." 
   
   A photograph of Trump and McIlroy with Clear Sports CEO Garry Singer and former Yankees right fielder Paul O'Neill went viral recently but the four-ball that took to the field consisted of Trump, world No.3 Rory Mac, ISM agent Nick Mullen, and Trump friend Rich Levine. 
   
   According to No Laying Up, McIlroy claimed he was not informed of the grouping until Saturday night and, though a rib injury had been delaying his plans to return to a course, he could not turn Trump's invitation down. 
   
   McIlroy said: "[Trump] probably shot around 80. He's a decent player for a guy in his 70s!" 
   
   Holywood hotshot McIlroy has not played competitive golf since losing a playoff to Graeme Storm in the South African Open in January. 
   
   There are rumours he could make his comeback from injury on March 2 when the WGC-Mexico Championship tees off at the Club de Golf Chapultepec in Naucalpan, Mexico. 
   
   Other professional golfers to wax lyrical over Trump's golfing include Tiger Woods who, in December, noted on his official blog that: "what [is] most impressive was how far Trump hits the ball at 70-years-old. He takes a pretty good lash." 
   
   Trump has also played with "The Big Easy" Ernie Els and LPGA tour star Lexi Thompson. ||||| Donald Trump hit the links for the second straight week last Sunday, news that came as a surprise to the White House Press Pool. After Clear Sports tweeted this picture of its CEO alongside President Trump, World No. 3 Rory McIlroy and Yankees legend Paul O’Neill… 
   
   Big battle today at Trump International with Clear CEO Garry Singer @McIlroyRory @PaulONeillYES @realDonaldTrump Drain the putt… pic.twitter.com/AZJqEVtlBT — ClearSports (@ClearSportsLLC) February 19, 2017 
   
   …NoLayingUp.com confirmed the news with Rory. 
   
   “He probably shot around 80. He’s a decent player for a guy in his 70’s!” 
   
   A Trump spokesperson confirmed the report itself a few hours later, saying he had originally only intended to play a few holes. 
   
   Because President Trump is a divisive figure among so many, that led to something of a social media backlash for Rory McIlroy. The responses were varied — many golf fans had no issue with Rory playing golf with the President — but there were a large number who did. A sampling of the negative comments: 
   
   @McIlroyRory Rory, Rory, what are you doing whoring yourself with Trump? — sarah mac (@MacMacaslin) February 21, 2017 
   
   I've no problem with @McIlroyRory choosing to stay out of Northern politics. But playing in his free time with Trump *IS* a political choice https://t.co/tOO2fiDVVi — Dermot Looney (@dlooney) February 20, 2017 
   
   @McIlroyRory .. How Could You Play Golf with a Megalomaniac, like Trump … Shame on You … — JOHN HONEYFORD (@INTERTELTOP1) February 21, 2017 
   
   @NiallOfficial hey your friend @RoryMcIlroy went golfing with tr*mp so maybe it's time to reassess this friendship — shes lucky to have u (@madyalmighty) February 21, 2017 
   
   Rory McIlroy didnt play in the olympics cos he didnt want ppl to hate him , but he plays golf with donald trump .Good one rory #rorymcilroy — jimmy morgan (@jimmymo78647603) February 20, 2017 
   
   Breaking: British golfer Rory McIlroy plays golf with Trump. "This doesn't make me a prat", claims Rory. "Yes it does", says everyone else. — Dustin The Turkey (@DustinOfficial) February 20, 2017 
   
   Rory McIlroy "Playing in the Olympics is too political" **plays golf with Donald Trump** 🙄 — Robert (@amazibob) February 20, 2017 
   
   @GolfChannel @NoLayingUp @McIlroyRory if you play with Trump all your fans will be gone. This is terrible. What a shame — Steven Moores (@moores_steven) February 20, 2017 
   
   Golf columnist Lawrence Donegan was especially vocal in a radio segment that day: 
   
   “The problem is that Rory is a beloved figure, probably the most beloved figure in his sport,” he said. “He is apparently appealing to a younger audience, he is very vocal about appealing to a younger audience. It basically reinforces old stereotypes.” 
   
   “I literally can’t believe that McIlroy has done this,” he continued. 
   
   Piers Morgan was the highest-profile figure to come to his defense: 
   
   So @McIlroyRory plays golf with @POTUS & promptly gets viciously abused too. This anti-Trump hysteria is absolutely PATHETIC. pic.twitter.com/dqHoXDyOBF — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) February 20, 2017 
   
   Interestingly, Rory McIlroy was asked about Trump about a year ago. His response:
target: – "He's a decent player for a guy in his 70s," pro golfer Rory McIlroy tells No Laying Up after playing a round of golf with President Trump on Sunday. McIlroy, a four-time major champion, says Trump shot "around 80," Business Insider reports. McIlroy is currently sidelined from competitive golf with a stress fracture in his rib but says he decided to tough it out when he got the invite Saturday night to play with the president. McIlroy isn't the only professional golfer to have weighed in on Trump's game. Tiger Woods has previously said Trump "takes a pretty good lash" for a man his age. But like anything having to do with Trump, Sunday's golf game wasn't without controversy. USA Today reports McIlroy took some heat on the Internet; some pointed out that he had ducked out of the most recent Olympics because they were "too political." On Trump's side, the White House was caught downplaying how much golf the president is playing, according to Politico. The White House originally reported Trump had only played "a few holes" on Sunday, but McIlroy's comments led a spokesperson to admit that Trump decided to "play longer"—a full 18 holes. Trump routinely blasted Barack Obama for playing golf while president.