As the golf season progresses, the TPC Sawgrass Course in Florida plays host to some of the sport’s finest players amid the best-known golfing events. Among the many stories emerging from this iconic location, one tale stands out—not just for its connection to the world of golf, but also for its unexpected celebrity link. Jim Best, a dedicated scuba diver with a 30-year career in salvaging lost golf balls, recently found himself gushing after unearthing a rare treasure from the depths of the 17th hole of TPC Sawgrass: a golf ball once belonging to former President Donald Trump.
The 17th hole, renowned for its surrounding water hazards and notorious difficulty, presents a unique challenge for players. Statistics from Golf Digest reveal that nearly 11% of all shots on this daunting hole end up submerged, creating a veritable treasure trove for divers like Jim Best, whose annual routine involves scouring courses for roughly 400,000 lost balls.
“Unfortunately, it’s not a forgiving grin. The bare minimum of is like 70,000 balls. I’m out of there,” Jim stated, reflecting on the myriad challenges he faces as he bravely navigates underwater terrain filled with algae, alligators, and the occasional forgotten cell phone or putter.
This year, however, the dive yielded something unexpected. Among the countless conventional golf balls and oddities, one stood out due to its previous ownership. Jim’s discovery of Trump’s golf ball serves as a reminder of how intertwined the worlds of politics and sports can be. Trump, an avid golfer whose exploits on the green are as notable as his business ventures and political career, remains a fixture of celebrity culture even in a game defined by sportmanship and competition.
While Jim Best doesn’t sell the celebrity balls that come his way, they represent an intersection of public interest and personalized stories. He shared that he allows his children to keep such items, underscoring a fascinating dynamic where sports memorabilia transcends mere function to become historical artifacts—a testament to the game as well as the individuals who play it, including the former president.
As golf lovers continue to tackle the challenges of the game, the accidental rescue of New York real estate tycoon Donald Trump’s golf ball will inevitably add another layer to the lore surrounding TPC Sawgrass. It’s an odd yet charming quirk of that par-3 hole where ambitions sometimes sink, and occasionally emerge buoyed by the unexpected.