Obamas visit the Gulf of Mexico
- 14 years ago
US President Barack Obama went golfing and swimming off the coast of Florida and declared the Gulf area's beaches "open for business," trying to show by example that a region hit by the BP oil spill was safe for tourists to enjoy.
During a family vacation to Panama City beach, Obama, with First lady, Michelle, and daughter Sasha went miniature golfing.
The first person to play was Sasha and she got a hole-in-one, followed by cheering and high fives.
Obama, on his fifth visit to the region since BP Plc's deep-sea well in the Gulf of Mexico ruptured in April, pledged to restore the economy and the environment in the aftermath of the world's worst offshore oil spill.
Obama also met with local business owners during the trip.
No oil has leaked into the Gulf of Mexico since July 15, when BP placed a tight-fitting cap over the broken Macondo well, which has spewed an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil since April 20.
The company last week injected cement into the top of the well to seal it.