President Donald Trump’s unexplained decision to cut short his weekend trip to Camp David has revealed that he had been joined by golf legends Gary Player and Bryson DeChambeau.
DeChambeau and his girlfriend, 26-year-old hockey player Mikayla Demaiter, were seen stepping off Marine One at the White House’s Ellipse after the trip ended abruptly on Saturday night. In another photograph, DeChambeau was seated beside 90-year-old Player aboard the military helicopter as it landed near the White House.
Trump was also seen leaving Marine One alone before walking straight toward a waiting vehicle.
White House officials have not explained why Trump returned from Camp David a day earlier than planned. Before his return, the State Department urged Americans in the Middle East to “exercise heightened vigilance” and prepare for possible travel disruptions as Iranian-backed Houthis continued attacks on Saudi Arabia.
“This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly,” the department said in its advisory. “Americans outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region. Those who do travel to or from the region should monitor information about airport and airline operations.”
Saudi Arabia confirmed on Saturday that the Yemeni rebels had attempted to target the capital with a ballistic missile. The confirmation came after video appeared to show smoke and flames rising above Riyadh airport.
(From left) Gary Player, Bryson DeChambeau, Mikayla Demaiter and Trump aboard Marine One
DeChambeau and his girlfriend, 26-year-old hockey player Mikayla Demaiter, were seen leaving Marine One at the White House after the trip ended abruptly
The Camp David trip was expected to last through the weekend, but DeChambeau and Demaiter returned on Saturday night after Trump made the unexplained decision to end the excursion
Trump’s relationship with both Player and DeChambeau is well established. The two golfers have previously been guests of the president at several of his clubs around the world.
Demaiter, a former hockey goalkeeper who has since built a career as a model and influencer, was first linked to DeChambeau after sharing a post from a LIV Golf event at Trump National Bedminster last month.
DeChambeau’s future with LIV Golf remains uncertain as the Saudi-backed league loses its funding and prepares to move into a revamped new era with fresh investment. He has widely been expected to remain with the competition, with players set to receive equity in the new entity.
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However, he fueled speculation about his next move with a brief post following LIV Golf’s final event of the year. Sharing a series of photographs highlighting his victories over the past four years, DeChambeau wrote: “It was a good run.”
The two-time U.S. Open champion has also developed a significant social media following, including 2.83 million subscribers on YouTube and 4.6 million followers on Instagram.
Mikayla Demaiter shared photographs from a recent LIV Golf event at one of Trump’s courses
DeChambeau is visible through the window on the left as Trump points out of his own window
Bryson DeChambeau, whose LIV Golf deal expired at the end of the 2026 season, is owed £4.3 million
LIV Golf’s biggest stars are still waiting to receive more than $40 million in unpaid money from the breakaway league after it filed for bankruptcy earlier this month.
A Chapter 11 petition was filed in New Jersey on September 8, leaving the Saudi-backed league fighting for survival after its financial supporters announced in April that they were withdrawing their backing.
While the bankruptcy filing had been widely anticipated, it represented a major turning point in LIV Golf’s dramatic decline. The development came four years after the league’s arrival sparked an acrimonious civil war across professional golf.
The ‘Chapter 11’ petition also revealed the staggering sums owed to LIV’s golfers, who are listed among the league’s unsecured creditors.
Jon Rahm tops the list with a huge $7.5million (£5.5m) outstanding, followed by DeChambeau , who is owed $5.8m (£4.3m).
Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Adrian Meronk are owed $5.5m (£4.1m), $4.8m (£3.5m) and $4.4m (£3.2m) respectively, while English golfer Tyrrell Hatton has $3.4m (£2.5m) in unsecured claims.