Yes we can get a hole in one! Sasha Obama's golfing success on family trip to promote tourism in wake of BP oil spill

By Mail Foreign Service


Teeing off: The Obamas look on as Sasha takes her first shot at Pirate's Island Golf in Florida


He's made no secret of his penchant for golf, but now it seems Barack Obama's youngest child is following in the president's footsteps.

The Obama family whooped with joy as nine-year-old Sasha got a hole-in-one on her first attempt during a trip to a miniature course in front of the media.

First Lady Michelle leaped in the air as Mr Obama gave his daughter a high-five, declaring her stroke 'unbelievable'.

He then turned to the press and said: 'Did you see that?'
Mr Obama also managed to get a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at Pirate’s Island Golf in Panama City, Florida.

When asked who was winning, the president said it was a tie. But Mrs Obama pointed at the president, suggesting the weekend golfer is doing well on the miniature course.

The Obamas are in the Florida Panhandle on a quick weekend trip that the president hopes will jump-start the region's tourism industry, which has suffered following the BP oil spill.

Mr Obama and Sasha also took a dip at at Panama City Beach in the Gulf of Mexico in an attempt to reassure Americans that its waters remain safe for tourists.


What an ace! Barack and Michelle Obama celebrate as Sasha gets a hole-in-one on her first try
'Oil is no longer flowing into the Gulf,' he said, at a regional U.S. Coast Guard headquarters.


'But I'm here to tell you that our job is not finished, and we are not going anywhere until it is.'

Mr Obama said that he wanted to deliver the message directly to residents of the Gulf Coast, which he has visited four times since an April explosion on a BP-leased oil rig triggered the disaster.

'I made a commitment in my visits here that I was going to stand with you... until you have fully recovered from the damage that has been done. And that is a commitment my administration is going to keep,' he said.

And Mr Obama also demanded that BP speed up processing of compensation claims, saying that 'any delays - by BP or by those managing the new fund - are unacceptable.'


High fives: The Obamas congratulate Sasha on her golfing success at the miniature course


During the height of the spill Mr Obama urged his fellow Americans to continue taking vacations in the region, famous for its sugar-white beaches, and heavily dependent on tourism.

The photo opportunity came as the President faced a furious backlash from victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks after he backed plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero.

The proposed site for the 13-storey building is close to where almost 3,000 people died nine years ago after Muslim hijackers flew two jet airliners into the World Trade Center.

Mr Obama expressed his support for the mosque, which will replace a building damaged by the attacks, at a White House meal celebrating Ramadan.

He said: ‘Let me be clear: As a citizen and as President I believe that Muslims have the same right to practise their religion as everyone else in this country.


Sasha lines up her swing as her mother lifts her fist up in triumph while the president shouts encouragement


Private break? The media looks on during the Obama trip to promote tourism in the wake of the BP oil spill


‘That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.

This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.'

His speech on Friday was heavily criticised by a group representing the families of victims of the terrorist attack, who called the plan a ‘deliberately provocative act that will precipitate more bloodshed in the name of Allah’.

Debra Burlingame, a sister of a pilot killed when his plane was flown by a terrorist into the Pentagon and a spokesperson for victims’ families, said: ‘Barack Obama has abandoned America at the place where America’s heart was broken nine years ago, and where her true values were on display for all to see.’


Safe to go in the water... Barack Obama takes Sasha for a dip in the Gulf of Mexico in an attempt to promote tourism


Peter King, a Republican congressman in New York, said the President had been wrong to back the plan, adding: ‘It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of Ground Zero.’

The week after his Florida sojourn, Mr Obama is scheduled for a multi-stop trip around the U.S., starting in Wisconsin, where he is to visit factories specialising in renewable energy production and fund-raise for Democrats.

Tomorrow evening, he will be in Los Angeles for another fundraising event, before he heads to the northwestern state of Washington on Tuesday for a meeting on health care reform in Seattle, the White House said.

Later this month the First Family is scheduled to vacation in Martha's Vineyard, an elite Massachusetts resort island.


source :dailymail