Donald Trump’s granddaughter made her professional golf debut at The Annika tournament in Florida on Thursday
Kai Trump, granddaughter of US President Donald Trump, endured a difficult start to her LPGA debut on Thursday. The 18-year-old amateur posted a 13-over-par opening round that left her at the bottom of the leaderboard after day one of the Annika tournament in Florida.
Trump, ranked 461st in the American Junior Golf Association rankings and playing only her fourth event of the year, finished four shots behind the next-closest player and 19 adrift of leader Ryu Hae-ran, who opened with a six-under 64.
She received a sponsor’s exemption to play in the tournament and is competing against some of the biggest names in the sport, including two-time major winner and defending champion Nelly Korda.
Trump has more than nine million followers across her social media platforms, and she recently joined the University of Miami’s Hurricanes for the 2026-27 season.
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“I was definitely more nervous than I expected, but I thought I hit a lot of great shots out there,” Trump said, speaking after making her LPGA debut. “I hit a lot of good shots just to the wrong spots.
“And obviously being my first LPGA event, now I kind of know how it goes. I felt like a little out of order in the beginning but I kind of got it going afterwards.
“The whole time I was nervous without a doubt,” Trump added.. “I thought I did pretty good for just first time, being the youngest player in the field. I had a great time out there.”
Although Donald Trump is not in attendance in Florida this week, he did offer his granddaughter some words of wisdom prior to her making her professional golf debut on Thursday.
As quoted by The Independent, Kai said: “He’s running the world right now, so a little busy.
“We play a lot. We have a great time out there, we’re always on the same team as well. [He said to] go out there and have fun. Just don’t get nervous.”
The prize pot for the tournament stands at a staggering £2.45million ($3.25m) and is known to have one of the most competitive fields aside from the majors.
Speaking in last month’s release on her involvement, chief tour business and operations officer at the LPGA, Ricki Lasky, defended the controversial decision to invite Kai, given she’s ranked No. 461 in the American Junior Golf Association.
He said: “Sponsor invitations are an important way to spotlight emerging talent and bring new attention to our tournaments and the LPGA.
“Kai’s broad following and reach are helping introduce golf to new audiences, especially among younger fans. We’re excited to see her take this next step in her journey.”