Golf legend Tony Jacklin isn't holding back when it comes to his views on Donald Trump and modern Britain.
Speaking from his Florida home, the former Ryder Cup captain calls Trump "the cat's whiskers and the bee's knees."
"He is exactly what the world needs right now: a leader," Jacklin says. "A leader who won't be swayed by all this woke and barmy stuff going on."
The two-time major winner, who now lives south of Tampa with his wife Astrid, admits he's deeply worried about his homeland. "I fear for Britain. It's nothing like it was years ago," he explains.
Former Ryder Cup captain Tony Jacklin has hit out at the state of Britain today
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At 81, Jacklin finds comfort in Florida's political climate, particularly with Trump back in charge.
The former Open champion's frustration extends to golf's governing bodies. He was supposed to play in the Champions' Challenge at St Andrews for The Open's 150th anniversary in 2022, but Covid kept him away.
Tony Jacklin is one of Britain's biggest golf legends
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Watching on television, he was dismayed by what he saw. "The R&A made it all about diversity," he recalls. "It used to be about all the old champions and the fans loved to see the old faces."
Friends had warned him about changes at the organisation. "I was warned that the R&A had gone woke," he says.
For someone who helped transform the Ryder Cup into golf's premier team event, seeing traditional institutions shift their focus clearly strikes a nerve. "Britain is not in a good place and it upsets me," he admits.
Jacklin's bitterness about money becomes clear when discussing the Ryder Cup's financial transformation. American players will pocket $500,000 each for the 2025 event at Bethpage Black, though $300,000 must go to charity.
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Tony Jacklin credits Jack Nicklaus for helping make the Ryder Cup what it is now
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"Piffling! I never got a cheque so big," he says about the $200,000 the players keep. The man who helped rescue the competition from near-extinction never received any payment for his appearances.
Looking back at Britain's punishing tax rates that drove him to chase money abroad in his twenties, he remembers "the 83 per cent I paid in taxes." It forced him to burn himself out financially.
"The perceived wisdom seems to be that the Europe Ryder Cup makes a few million in spin-offs. I can tell you I never saw any of that," he reflects.
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| REUTERSDespite the financial disparities, Jacklin takes pride in his role rescuing the Ryder Cup when it was "on the bones of his backside." He credits Jack Nicklaus for suggesting Europe join Great Britain & Ireland, and pays tribute to Severiano Ballesteros.
Modern golf's money grab doesn't surprise him. Players are heading to LIV for $100 million deals, and he admits he'd probably have done the same. "It's hard to put my feet in those shoes, but probably, yes," he says.
But Jacklin believes something more valuable exists beyond the cash. "There is no buying history," he insists.
When Europe faces America at Bethpage this week, with the first team needing 14.5 points to win, he predicts money won't matter. "When Europe win, money won't mean a thing and it will be bloody wonderful."