South Africa’s greatest-ever golfer Gary Player has congratulated Donald Trump on his US election win on Wednesday.
Republican Trump beat Democrat opponent Kamala Harris with 51% of the votes to regain his seat in office.
Player who turned 89 last week, has a history with Trump. The nine-time major winner accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump when he was in office back in January 2021.
That came a day after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the US Capitol building.
Mixed reception
There was mixed reaction at the time, with many criticising Player for accepting the award and his affiliation with the controversial president.
On Wednesday, however, Player was quick to send out a message of congratulations along with three pictures of himself with Trump on social media.
“I have a deep-rooted love for America and will always respect the person who holds the top office in the world. Congratulations on your hard earned victory, Mr President. A comeback for the ages indeed. You started yesterday down by 8 with 9 holes to go and came out victorious. God Bless America! GP” wrote Player on Facebook.
The majority of comments on the posts were complimentary of Player and Trump, with Stephen Hair saying: “Thank you Gary for those kind words. We are all in this together, as a Nation, as well as Globally. America is poised for a remarkable comeback under Conservative Leadership. Let’s all pray for Peace and Unity. The world needs more Love. Be Kind. God Bless America.”