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A few high -profile South African golfers were thrown into a tense exchange in the White House on Wednesday.
Ernie Els and Retief Goosen joined Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, to a meeting in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump.
While the meeting between the two leaders started off a heartfelt start, the tenor at the meeting took a noticeable turn when Trump confronted Ramaphosa with a video that allegedly showed serious treatment of white farmers. Trump also presented Ramaphosa with documents that he claimed were stories of killing “thousands” of Africans.
Ramaphosa offered several denials to the allegations and made it clear that the statements made in the videos were not representative of his government’s policy. Els and Goosen were then brought into the discussion.
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President Donald Trump meets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, May 21 in Washington. (AP/EVAN VUCCI)
Trump welcomed the golfer when he introduced the South African president.
“I really appreciate that you came along. It really helps us in our thought process,” Trump said. “In two guys are amazing,” Trump added. “Which group of golfers South Africa has had.”
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Els formerly held the world’s No. 1 golf franking. He presented his passport and said he was a “proud South African” before referring to the “apartheid era” and calling for unity.
“I know there was a lot of anger through the transition. A lot of things happened in the apartheid days,” he said. “We grew in the apartheid era, but I don’t think two wrong are right.”
Retief Goosen Tees Off at one in the first round of Gallery Classic at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, March 28, 2025. (Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun/USA Today Network via Imag images)
Els added that he was eager to attend the meeting and hoped it would turn out to be advantageous to his country.
“We really wanted to meet you, meet the administration and see our way forward because we still want to see our country bloom,” Els added.
Goosen, a two-time OS open winner, was asked about the farms in South Africa.
“My dad was a property developer as well as a part -time farmer, and yes, some of his mate’s farmers were killed. The farm is still going. My brothers are running it, but it’s a constant battle with farms … They try to burn the farms down to chase you away. So it’s a concern to try to live like a farmer
Goose said that his family members who lived on farms had electric fences and lived in fear of crime.
“They left electric fence you know try to be at night, safe. But it’s constant every time you leave that something could happen
Golfers Retief Goosen and Ernie Els stand in the oval office during a meeting between President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House of Washington, DC, May 21, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
Els and Goosen are well acquainted with the sitting US president. Before Trump’s first term of office, he published a photo on social media by himself and Els.
“Ernie Els and myself at Trump National Doral,” he wrote 2013 Facebook post.
Trump is an avid golfer. His property portfolio also includes golf courses.
