Nervous Start for Trump's Granddaughter in Professional Golf Debut
Kai Trump, the 18-year-old granddaughter of former US President Donald Trump, experienced a challenging introduction to professional golf on Thursday, carding a 13-over-par 83 in her first LPGA tournament appearance. The amateur golfer, who is the eldest child of Donald Trump Jr, found herself at the bottom of the leaderboard after the opening round of The Annika tournament, highlighting the significant gap between elite junior competition and the world's top professional players.
Playing on a much-debated sponsor's exemption, Trump began her round on the back nine alongside former major champion Hinako Shibuno and Germany's Olivia Cowan. Despite receiving warm applause from spectators when announced on the par-4 10th tee, the young golfer admitted to feeling particularly nervous throughout her debut performance.
Rollercoaster Round Shows Learning Curve
The debutante's round got off to a shaky start with four consecutive bogeys in her opening holes, creating early pressure before she had even taken her fifth fairway swing. A steady par at the par-5 14th finally halted the slide, though she reached the turn in 41 shots after mixing two additional bogeys with two pars.
Trump's support network was visibly present throughout the round, with her mother Vanessa and University of Miami assistant coach Jim Garren walking inside the ropes. This came just one day after Miami formally announced her commitment to join the Hurricanes for the 2026-27 season.
What Golf Channel commentators described as the day's largest gallery followed Trump's every move, comprising a mixture of supporters, sceptics and curious onlookers aware that her tournament exemption had dominated American golf discussions for weeks.
Controversial Invitation Divides Golf Community
Trump's presence in the tournament has sparked divided opinions across the American golf establishment. Some analysts argued that having Donald Trump's granddaughter in the field, combined with WNBA star Caitlin Clark participating in the pro-am, created one of the tour's most talked-about weeks in recent memory.
However, others questioned whether a player ranked No 461 in the American Junior Golf Association should occupy a valuable spot in a late-season field where professionals are competing for crucial season-ending accolades and, for some, their careers for the following year.
Tournament host Annika Sorenstam defended the decision to grant Trump the exemption, urging critics to "give this girl a chance." Pelican Golf Club owner Dan Doyle Jr, whose club controlled the exemption, noted that Trump's presence had already generated a significant surge in attention, particularly across social media platforms where she boasts over nine million followers.
Despite the challenging score, Trump remained positive about her experience, stating: "The whole time I was nervous without a doubt. But I thought I did pretty good for a first time, being the youngest player in the field. Now I kind of know how it goes."
The young golfer has received advice from both her grandfather, who told her to "have fun, don't get nervous," and Tiger Woods, the 15-time major champion who is dating her mother Vanessa. Woods advised her to "go with the flow" - guidance she referenced when discussing how she regrouped after mistakes during her round.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Ryu Hae-ran led the tournament after an impressive six-under 64, one shot ahead of Australia's Grace Kim. The strong performances from established professionals served as a reminder of the elite standard at an event that consistently attracts one of the LPGA's most competitive fields.
