Obama golfs with sports stars in Florida

by Mark Hensch - 03/28/15 3:11 PM ET

President Obama on Saturday hit the links with a pair of retired professional athletes in Florida.

White House pool reports said Obama reached Palm City, Fla., for a golf vacation Saturday afternoon. Ex-athletes Ahmad Rashad and Alonzo Mourning joined the president, as did longtime friend Cy Walker.

The quartet met at the Floridian National Golf Club for some weekend leisure. President Obama plans on staying in Palm City overnight before flying back to Washington on Sunday.

{mosads}Rashad is a former wide receiver in the National Football League. He entered the league in 1972 and played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings. He currently serves as a sportscaster.

Mourning played center in the National Basketball Association for 15 years. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year spent most of his career with the Miami Heat, where he won a NBA championship in 2006. He also played for the Charlotte Hornets and New Jersey Nets before retiring in 2009.

Walker met Obama through senior administration adviser Valerie Jarrett, his cousin.

All four men have golfed together previously. The Washington Times reported last year that the group played a game at Key Largo, Fla., at the Ocean Reef Club.

Obama’s trip comes amid tense talks between the U.S. and Iran over its nuclear weapons research. The president hopes Tehran will slow or stop pursuit of atomic arms in exchange for reduced economic sanctions.

Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday met Iranian representatives in Lausanne, Switzerland, for more talks over a potential deal.

The Obama administration is racing towards a self-imposed Tuesday deadline for a tentative outline of the accord.

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