From Port St. Lucie, Florida -
After a campaign event at the Professional Golfers' Association of America Museum, Newt Gingrich did what any golfer would love to do - hoist the PGA trophy like he had just been victorious in one of golf's four major tournaments.
"They just pulled out the Wannamaker Trophy and allowed me to hold it," said a beaming Gingrich as he started a news conference with reporters in the museum's library.
Newt Gingrich takes questions from reporters after getting the chance to hold the trophy awarded to the winner of the PGA Championship.
"This is so far from my current golf skills that it's a sign of total delusion," Gingrich said with a big smile, saying it was evidence that he is indeed guilty of having "grandiose" ideas, as GOP challenger Rick Santorum has charged.
Gingrich began his speech outside the museum that he and his wife Callista wished they had brought their golf clubs, saying it was "painful" to see the golf facility in front of them on what was a classic Chamber of Commerce winter day in southern Florida.
"Such a beautiful day," Gingrich said of the PGA facility. "This could be a commercial for Florida tourism."
It was somewhat painful for reporters as well, a number of whom wished out loud that they could grab their clubs and shoes from the trunk and start playing.
As for Gingrich, he started playing golf only after leaving the Congress, while his wife Callista has played since she was a kid.
Asked back in New Hampshire what his handicap was, Gingrich quipped, "It's beyond counting."
Golf was also a part of Gingrich's first stop on Saturday, as he held court at the Willoughby Golf Club in Stuart.
While Gingrich joked about never having the chance to win the PGA, he shares that with some big names like Arnold Palmer, who never got a chance to hoist the Wannamker Trophy either.
As for when Gingrich will get to play golf again, it may not be soon, as he vowed to reporters that he would go "all the way" to the Republican convention with his bid for the White House.
