Kai Trump’s score at the LPGA Tour’s Annika tournament? Don’t ask
After enduring two weeks of others attacking her, Kai Trump was finally able to put her golf ball on the green and swing at an LPGA Tour event.
President Trump’s eldest grandson shot 13-under 83 in the first round on Thursday Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. High school senior student and University of Miami commitment He birdied the first five holes before recording a par, totaling 42 on the front nine and 41 on the back nine.
Critics among and beyond her nearly nine million social media followers have been relentless in pointing out the 18-year-old’s obvious privilege. provide sponsor invitation. Pelican Golf Club owner Dan Doyle Jr. cheerfully admitted that Trump’s involvement had little to do with talent and a lot to do with public relations.
“When you look at the history of exemptions, the purpose of the exemption is to draw attention to an event,” Doyle told reporters this week. “You should see him live, he is so nice to talk to.
“And through Instagram, it attracted a lot of viewers who wouldn’t normally watch women’s golf. That was the hope. And we’re seeing that now.”
Trump attends Benjamin School in Palm Beach and is ranked No. 461 by the American Junior Golf Assn. He also competes on the South Florida PGA’s Srixon Medal Tour. Its peak in July was tied for third.
On the eve of Annika, Trump received support from a conversation with Tiger Woods, who was with his mother Vanessa Trump. More privileges, of course, but what did he tell her?
“I mean, he’s the best golfer in the entire world. I would say that. And he’s an even better person,” Kai Trump told reporters. “He told me to go out there and have fun and just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens.”
What happened was far from perfect. With Allan Kournikova, the younger sister and lifelong friend of tennis star Anna Kournikova, serving as his caddy, Trump trailed through the first four holes before recording his first par.
He will play again on Friday and will be the player with the longest shot in the final two rounds of the weekend after finishing 108th and last in the first round.
It’s been an eventful week for Trump. He played nine holes in a professional round Monday with tournament host Annika Sorenstam, who empathized with the difficulty of handling an intense maelstrom of criticism and support.
“I honestly don’t know how he did it,” Sorenstam said. “He must be a tough guy on the inside to be 18 and hear all the comments. I’m sure we can all understand what it’s like to get criticism here and there, but he takes it a thousand times over.”
Sorenstam recalled that she earned an exemption from the Bank of America Colonial in 2003 and became the first woman to play in a men’s PGA Tour event in 58 years. He saved par by making a 14-foot putt on the 18th green to finish his round of 74, bringing his 36-hole total to 5/145. She threw the golf ball into the stands, wiped away her tears and was embraced by her husband, David Esch.
“This was perhaps a somewhat controversial invitation at the time,” Sorenstam said. “All in all, I definitely appreciated it. It just brings attention to the tournament, to the sport, to women’s sports, which I think is what we want.”
Attention temporarily turned from Trump on Wednesday to WNBA star Caitlin Clark and Annika pro-am Indiana Fever teammate Sophie Cummingham. Clark goes viral when paired with tournament champion Nelly Korda sink a long shot from green
“I actually grew up playing a little bit. I remember getting this cute little pink putter set for one of my birthdays,” Clark said. “Then I stopped playing and then started again during COVID.”
Cunningham’s moment was less glorious. After Clark hit his tee shot on the 10th hole in the middle of the fairway, Cunningham sliced his own shot into the crowd. “Happy Gilmore,” he shouted, prompting laughter from the gallery.
Trump on his own behalf I shook a basket from beyond the free throw line on an outdoor court near the first tee while waiting for the pro-am to begin.
Sponsor invites have long been used to draw attention to a tournament through a golfer who comes from a well-known family or, in recent years, has a strong social media presence. Trump is sufficient on both counts.
Nine million followers combined instagram, tiktok, YouTube And X They include teenagers, golf enthusiasts and members of his grandfather’s administration, such as Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
In addition to posting about his activities on and off the course, Trump also makes videos of himself playing golf with his grandfather and He talked about his Ryder Cup visits. He also recently launched his own activewear and lifestyle brand. KT.
“Kai’s large following and reach helps introduce golf to new audiences, especially among younger fans,” said Ricki Lasky, the LPGA’s chief tour business and operations officer.
Beth Ann Nichols, a senior writer for Golfweek, went from believing it was a “terrible idea” for Trump to sponsor Annika to supporting it. He wrote that his initial reaction was: “His game is not ready for this kind of attention; too much is at stake for a circus to break out in the penultimate event of the season.”
However, as the week progressed, she changed her mind, believing that the President’s granddaughter was eligible to play women’s golf.
“Between Caitlin Clark’s presence at the pro-am and President Donald Trump’s grandson’s presence in the 108-player field, this could become one of the most talked-about LPGA events in the tour’s 75-year history,” Nichols wrote. “For those who understand how challenging it is for women’s golf to transcend the world of golf, let alone the world of sports and beyond, these opportunities do not come along very often.”
Trump will need to step up his game to move beyond a novelty. He finished last in a field of 24 with a par of over 52. Young Invitation in Sage Valley in March. His performance on Thursday showed that although he is strong as a starter, his short game also needs to improve.
“I don’t think anyone here thought he would be holding the trophy on Sunday,” Sorenstam said. “I talked to him a little bit yesterday. You know, make the most of this week. There will be lessons learned. Take them into the future and learn.”
President’s oldest 11 grandchildrenKai became known nationally when he gave a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention supporting his grandfather’s campaign. His parents are Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump divorced in 2018, and her mother has been dating Woods for about a year.
