Kai Trump misses cut despite improvement on LPGA bow
Kai Trump missed her first LPGA cut after posting a 18-over overall score with a 75-over at the Annika tournament in Florida.
The 18-year-old amateur, who is the grandson of US President Donald Trump, came last in the 108-player field at the end of the second round.
Trump, who is competing for a sponsor exemption at the Pelican Golf Club, made a significant improvement compared to the 83 he signed on Thursday, struggling with nerves by drawing big galleries.
He made birdies on the third, seventh, 11th and 12th after nearly sinking an eight-iron from 140 yards for what would have been his first hole-in-one.
“I was definitely very nervous the first day. I think the nerves got to me,” Trump said.
“When I went out on the field today, I felt very calm and peaceful, to be honest with you. That’s why I played better.”
There were also plenty of challenging moments, including a triple-bogey seven on the par-four fifth as he pared the daunting 18th hole for the second consecutive day.
“Some things are going to happen. Once it happens, you can’t go back in time and fix it,” added Trump, whose mother, Vanessa, is dating 15-time men’s major champion Tiger Woods.
“The best thing I can do is move on. As I told my assistant, Allan [Kournikova]I kind of started laughing. Whatever. We got that out of the way, so let’s move on. It was pretty easy to keep going after that.”
Trump, who has committed to play at the University of Miami next year, has played in just three events this semester.
He was also ranked 461st in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings but still managed to make a big impact, averaging 241 yards from the tee and hitting 11 of 14 fairways.
“It’s really good considering it’s not just an easy LPGA event, it’s probably one of the toughest courses we’ve ever played,” said England’s Charley Hull, who plays three groups ahead of Trump.
Hull, who has had visa and illness issues in preparation for the tournament, sits fifth overall, four strokes behind joint leaders Linn Grant and Grace Kim.
World number two Nelly Korda is in a five-way tie for sixth place at six-under par with the likes of Spaniard Carlota Ciganda after shooting a one-under 63 on Friday.
