The White House at first did not explain the incident out of concern for the privacy of the Whitakers, but later sent Mr. Burton to tell reporters the first family was uninjured. Mr. Obama, Dr. Whitaker and others had been golfing at the Luana Hills Country Club for about an hour when they suddenly jumped into the presidential motorcade and made a dramatic, high-speed departure. An administration official told pool reporters that the boy suffered a "run-of-the-mill beach injury" that initially was thought to need stitches. Obama left the golf course immediately to make sure the boy was with his parents and returned to his vacation home "in a very high speed and dramatic motorcade," according to a media pool report.  President Obama was unexpectedly taken away from a golf course in Hawaii on Monday and returned to the beachfront compound where he has been staying because the son of one of his friends had been hurt.
– President Obama interrupted a round of golf this afternoon, raising concerns because an ambulance was seen at the home where he is vacationing, but all is well with the first family, the Honolulu Advertiser reports. A child vacationing with the Obamas suffered a "run-of-the-mill beach injury," according to a White House spokesman who declined to name the boy. He is a son of Eric Whitaker, who was golfing with the president, the New York Times reports. A motorcade sped away from the Luana Hills Country Club, where Obama had gone to play after speaking about Friday's attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253, and reporters were told the situation involved neither national security nor Obama's safety. "Nobody saw him playing," said the country club's GM. "All of a sudden they just came and left." The president later returned to the course.