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A prominent South African golfer was thrown into a tense exchange at the White House on Wednesday.
Ernie Elles and Letoyf Goosen joined South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to hold a meeting with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office.
While the meeting between the two leaders got off to a sincere start, the tenors of the meeting made a noticeable turn when Trump confronted Ramaphosa in a video that allegedly showed serious treatment of white farmers. Trump also presented Ramaphosa with documents claiming it was an account of the murders of “thousands” of Africans.
Ramaphosa provided multiple denials to the claims, revealing that the statement made in the video does not represent his government's policies. Els and Goosen were then brought into discussion.
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President Donald Trump will meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House Oval Office in Washington on Wednesday, May 21st. (AP/Evan Vucci)
Trump welcomed golfers when he introduced the South African president.
“I'm so grateful for what you've done, and it really helps us in our thinking process,” Trump said. “The two guys are amazing,” Trump added. “What did a group of South African golfers have?”
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ELS previously held the world's number one golf ranking. He announced his passport, referring to the “apartheid era” and said he was a “prideful South African” before seeking unity.
“I know there was a lot of anger throughout the transition. A lot of things happened during the apartheid era,” he said. “We grew up in the apartheid era, but I don't think two mistakes are right.”
On March 28, 2025, I took one Letty Fugouse tea off in the first round of the Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. (Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Els added that he is eager to attend the meeting and hopes it will be beneficial to his country.
“We really wanted to see you, see the government and see our country prosperous, so we wanted to see us progress,” Els added.
Goosen, the two-time US open winner, was asked about farms in South Africa.
“My dad is a real estate developer, a part-time farmer, and yeah, some of his partner farmers have been killed. The farm is still going. My brother is running through it, but it's a constant battle with the farm. … They're trying to drive you away.
Goosen said his family, who lived on the farm, had an electric fence and lived there for fear of crime.
“They left an electric fence, you know, the night is safe. But it's constant whenever something could happen. … They both were attacked in their home. My mother was attacked in our home when she was 80 years old.
On May 21, 2025, during a meeting between President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House in Washington, DC, golfers are standing in an oval office with Goosen and Ernie Elles. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarck)
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Els and Goosen are familiar with the US president sitting. Before Trump's first term, he posted photos on himself and Els' social media.
“I am Ernie Elles and Trump National Doral myself,” he captioned a 2013 Facebook post.
Trump is an avid golfer. His real estate portfolio also includes golf courses.
Greg Norman of Fox News contributed to this report.
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