Five Unforgettable Moments from the Obama-Boehner Golf Game

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All eyes were on President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner's "golf summit" today, where the two of them teamed up against Vice President Biden and Ohio Gov. John Kasich in a highly anticipated golf outing at Andrews Air Force Base golf course. Though the press pool was only permitted to observe the action on the first green, it didn't stop massive analysis of each painstaking detail. We combed through various political blogs to come up with the five most exciting moments. It was tough to choose.

1. Biden's Bogey. On the first hole, the president, the speaker and the governor all shot par, which was five. According to the Washington Times, Obama "got all Tiger Woods fancy on the first green by crouching down to line up his 12-foot shot." He missed, then tapped it in for par. But despite sinking a 15-foot putt, Biden got a bogey, lagging behind from the start. Onlookers were no doubt surprised, because Biden is supposed to be the best player. Golf Digest ranked Biden, with a handicap of 6.3, 29th in a list of Washington's Top 150 golfers. At the time, most tried not to read too much into it. "This could well be temporary," observed White House Dossier, "He’s good." But afterwards, as The Hill noted, "the extra stroke came back to haunt him."

2. The Back Pat. After the first hole, the foursome walked back to the carts, and Obama patted Boehner on the back. They rode together (Obama driving) while Biden and Kasich rode in the other cart. Interpretations of the pat were mixed. The Washington Times wrote that "hopefully this sign of congeniality from the Duffer-in-Chief will give the top Republican the opportunity to drive a hard bargain on the green today." The Hill called it a sign "that the round had a nonpartisan feel."

3. The Flying Golf Ball. ABC News shows that Obama was almost hit by a golf ball. It's not clear when this happened, though we assume it was once again on the first green, the only part the press pool was allowed to observe. It may be worth pointing out that this has happened to the president before. The video is below. At the end of 2010, he was almost hit by a golf ball in Hawaii. No one has drawn any parallels between the two events, but you may draw your own conclusions.

4. Victory on the 18th! Things went dark for, well, the rest of the game, as the press was not allowed to follow the foursome. But the game must have been tense! According to reports, the score came down right to the 18th hole. Somehow -- details remain sketchy -- Obama and Boehner managed to pull in the victory, and won $2 a piece. "The question now is whether a partnership forged on the tees, fairways, and greens of a military base course can yield success in the policy arena," posits the Associated Press. Better than a joint loss, no doubt.

5. Beer and a Photo Op. Again, relying on statements from the White House, we learn that "after finishing their round, the president, Speaker Boehner, the vice president and Gov. Kasich went to the patio of the clubhouse where they enjoyed a cold drink, some of the U.S. Open coverage and visited with service members." The White House also said afterward that "the foursome had great time and really enjoyed playing golf at Joint Base Andrews today." According to The Hill, that wording was "approved by Boehner's office."

At least we have a picture:

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

Americans don’t realize how fast the country is moving toward becoming a better version of itself.

I have seen the future, and it is in the United States.

After a several-year immersion in parts of the country that make the news mainly after a natural disaster or a shooting, or for follow-up stories on how the Donald Trump voters of 2016 now feel about Trump, I have a journalistic impulse similar to the one that dominated my years of living in China. That is the desire to tell people how much more is going on, in places they had barely thought about or even heard of, than they might have imagined.

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In the case of China, that impulse matched the mood of the times. In the years before and after the world financial crisis of 2008, everyone knew that China was on the way up; reporters like me were just filling in the details. In the case of the modern United States, I am well aware that this message runs so counter to prevailing emotions and ideas as to seem preposterous. Everyone knows how genuinely troubled the United States is at the level of national politics and governance. It is natural to assume that these disorders must reflect a deeper rot across the country. And indeed, you can’t travel extensively through today’s America, as my wife, Deb, and I have been doing in recent years, without being exposed to signs of rot, from opioid addiction to calcifying class barriers.