Alexander Stubb has undeniably been a good player, but his current condition is a mystery.
President of the Republic by Alexander Stubb golf’s past is quite accurately documented. Stubb, who diligently practiced his skills on the Tali field in Helsinki as a child and youth, even represented Finland in the national team.
But what if the former president of the United States and the most likely future presidential candidate of the republicans Donald Trump would you take a golf course?
Donald Trump likes to golf. PDO
– If I had to bet right now, I would put my money on Trump, says Teemu LaaksoExecutive Director of the Finnish Golf Professionals’ Association, or PGA.
Laakso is also a product of the Tali field. As a junior, he traveled with Stubb on competitive trips and played individual rounds with him even before the turn of the 2010s, when Stubb was a member of the European Parliament.
– Maybe I can catch the texter, but I bet Trump would win in 18 holes. Of course, based on the newspaper stories, Trump has all the means at his disposal, but he plays a lot.
“I did nothing but train, train and train. If something is done, it is done properly. There are no intermediate forms,” Stubb described in his book. Photo archive of the Finnish Golf Association
The playful guess is based on Trump’s game numbers. Stubb plays very little if at all anymore. In his book published in 2017, Stubb said that he throws “once in the summer a round with a faija”.
– I claim that on his best day, Stubb would have beaten Trump by twenty punches. But if he hasn’t played now, it could be a tight game.
Of course, Trump has been accused of cheating in golf for years, which reduces the chances of his competitors to beat him.
It has been reported from several sources that Trump plays golf by his own rules. PDO
– At the level at which Stubb has played, you can’t play by your own rules. National team level players know the rules and how to play. However, it is a gentleman’s sport, says Laakso.
A tough trainee
According to Laakso, Stubb was once a good national level gambler.
Born in 1968, Stubb himself described in his book that being on the Finnish national golf team in the 1980s was the same as being on the English ice hockey team today.
– I remember that he was a good hitter. Maybe the swing wasn’t something that would have us sighing while watching it, but the swing was effective enough. He was determined and wanted to succeed, and it wasn’t just about playing and meeting other players at the games, says Laakso.
Stubb started playing golf at the age of 12, and the sport took him quickly. Development came with determination and high repetitions.
– It is useful if you have played a stick game before, which in this case was ice hockey, like myself. It doesn’t hurt to have a little sportiness either. At that time there was time spent on the field. Nowadays, it seems that parents just bring their children to training and take them away, says Laakso.
Stubb described in his book that golf requires patience, which he has almost none of. On the other hand, it suited him that in the sport you have to constantly control your thoughts and think positively. The individual sport fascinated even though Stubb has described himself as an extrovert.
– I also dare to do an analysis of extroversion. It was seen as socializing before and after the round. And he was really good company when we traveled, Laakso recalls.
Finland’s EC team in 1989: in the top row Harri Murtonen, Alexander Stubb and Erkki Välimaa and in the bottom row Sauli Mäkiluoma, Jouni Vilmunen, Veli-Matti Välimaa (captain) and Timo Rauhala. Photo archive of the Finnish Golf Association
– On race trips, he greeted and exchanged a few words and didn’t just focus on what he was doing.
After college, Stubb went to South Carolina to study economics and play for the college team with the goal of becoming a professional golfer. In the USA, Stubb noticed that there are quite a few other good players around.
– I played in the same tournament with Phil Mickelson, who later became second in the world rankings. I realized I don’t have a seam, Stubb said in his book.
Stubb packed up his career quickly.
– You can see from the archive’s old results that it ended like a wall. He started to focus on his studies, says Laakso.
As an adult, the importance of golf in Stubb’s life diminished even more when the future president began to focus on triathlon. So the current golf fitness of the president is a mystery.
– The golf stroke is such that some people retain it very well, even though they haven’t played for 10 years and some don’t hit the ball at all for a while.