Phil Mickelson gets why Biden-Trump debate got heated over golf game

Biden and Trump's barbs about their golf game was a highlight of the debate

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LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson got into the fun after President Biden and former President Trump debated their handicaps during the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday night.

Mickelson on Friday wrote on X that he didn’t think the two leaders were getting personal with each other until it came to their golf game.

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Phil Mickelson at the 2024 US Open

Phil Mickelson plays a shot on the 17th hole during a practice round prior to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina, on June 11. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

"After watching the debate last night, I feel it never got personal until they started talking golf handicaps and who hits the longest drives. As a golfer, I get it," Mickelson wrote.

Trump raised the issue when discussing his fitness, saying he had recently "won two club championships — not even senior — two regular club championships." 

"To do that, you have to be quite smart, and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way, and I do it," he continued. "[Biden] doesn’t do it. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match — he can’t hit a ball 50 yards." 

Biden and Trump at the debate

Former President Trump, left, and President Biden participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at CNN Studios in Atlanta on Thursday. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Biden, challenged by the remark, argued that he had managed to get his handicap down to six when he was vice president. 

But Trump, an avid golfer, wasn’t buying it. 

"That’s the biggest lie — that he’s a six handicap — of all," he replied. 

Bryson DeChambeau, a fellow golfer on the LIV circuit, brought up the idea of hosting Trump and Biden in a match on his YouTube channel.

Phil Mickelson in Nashville

Phil Mickelson gestures during the opening round of LIV Golf Nashville at the Grove Golf Course in College Grove, Tennessee, on June 21. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

For now, golf fans might have to just settle for the debate stage.

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

Authored by Ryan Gaydos via FoxNews June 28th 2024