Dinner with Obama, a missed deadline, McIlroy at another U.S. Open | Rogers Report

Hello friends and welcome to this edition of the Rogers Report! I write to you all from the Solheim Cup Media Center here at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va. I don’t want to jinx it, but so far the weather has been perfect. Temperatures are in the high 70s and there’s a slight breeze, which is perfect golf weather if you ask me.

We’ll get back to the Solheim Cup in a bit, but first I have a few other things to touch on.

Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open (tennis version)

I know, I know. You’ve seen enough write ups about Rory McIlroy and the U.S. Open this summer. Lucky, we are talking about the tennis version of the event here. McIlroy took his talents to Queens, N.Y., on Friday night to watch Taylor Fritz face off against Frances Tiafoe.

Unfortunately, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce didn’t attend the U.S. Open until later in the weekend. I think the three of them could’ve had fun watching (and maybe even singing) together.

Mark Hubbard’s mistake

Mark Hubbard got into the Procore Championship the hard way this week. After dropping his phone in a cold plunge and missing the commitment deadline by 23 minutes, he had to Monday qualify for the event.

Sure, he probably should have committed to the event earlier, but why not make things a little interesting? I live my life in a constant state of whatever the “normal person” version of this is. Just today, my coworker and I had to Uber to Dulles International Airport after flying into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport because we reserved our rental cars at the wrong location. Sure, we still ended up at the Solheim Cup by lunchtime, but we made it more difficult for ourselves.

A trip to the Pentagon and dinner with Obama

A massive perk of the Solheim Cup being in Gainesville this week is its proximity to Washington, D.C. The U.S. Team headed to the Pentagon on Monday and the Solheim Cup gala is on Wednesday night in D.C. as well. Lots of people take field trips to the nation’s capital when in grade school. This is kind of like that for the best players in the world.

Barack Obama joined the American Team for dinner to top off their American history-themed Monday at the Solheim Cup. Obama is really rocking that leather jacket, but I have to say I like the team’s uniforms even more. They look sharp!

I can’t help but wonder if Obama asked for any swing tips while they hung out.

Team Rooms

It’s still the beginning of the week, but I’m already loving the Solheim Cup social content. We don’t get to see how golfers act on a team very often, so I’m making sure to soak it all in this week.

Emma Talley and Megan Khang provided a tour of the team room, and I think it’s got to be one of the coolest hang-out spots I’ve seen. It’s got anything and everything you could need.

I’m calling it now: Megan Khang will be the personality MVP this week. Her vibes are incredible. She’s not the only one, though. I’m already getting to know a bit more about Team USA thanks to the fun social content the LPGA is providing.

Who knew Lexi Thompson listened to metal? She and Viktor Hovland should collaborate on a Spotify playlist.

And finally, my favorite viral trend has made it to golf. Social media managers working with professional athletes have been asking their teams to autograph really old, funny photos and the reactions are gold. Enjoy!