Kai Trump makes strides but still misses cut in LPGA debut

MIAMI – Kai Trump conquered her nerves to cap her LPGA debut with a five-over 75 in the second round of The Annika on Nov 14 and said she would have plenty of positives to discuss with her grandfather, US President Donald Trump.

The 18-year-old high school senior, who has signed to play for the University of Miami in 2026, played the tournament at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida on a sponsor’s invitation.

Her 158 score was 27 strokes from joint leaders Linn Grant (63) of Sweden and Australian Grace Kim (66) at the half-way mark.

While Kai Trump missed the cut and finished last, she said her eight-stroke improvement from the first-round score of 83 was something to be proud of.

“The first day I was definitely really nervous,” she said. “I think the nerves just got to me. When I went out there today I felt very calm and peaceful, to be honest with you. And that’s why I played better.”

There were miscues on Nov 14, including a triple-bogey at the par-four fifth, where she hit a tree.

By then she had already nabbed her first LPGA birdie at the third. And she bounced back with an eight-foot birdie at the seventh. There were also back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th.

She said when she speaks to Mr Trump about her first LPGA experience, which attracted large and friendly crowds to watch her play, she would emphasise she “hit a great shot on 18 two days in a row”.

On both days, she used a three-wood to find the green at No. 18. Her eight-foot downhill birdie putt did not drop on Nov 14, but her closing par polished off a satisfying round.

“I did everything I possibly could have done for this tournament,” added Kai Trump, the oldest child of Donald Trump Jr. “I think if you prepare right, the nerves – they’re always going to be there, right? They can be a little softened.”

The decision to offer the invitation to the teenager, who is ranked just 461st in the American Junior Golf Association rankings, was criticised in some quarters.

But Pelican owner Don Doyle Jr said this week that one purpose of sponsor’s exemptions is to bring attention to an event and Kai Trump – with her millions of social media followers and poised public persona – was a perfect choice to attract viewers who do not necessarily follow women’s golf.

“She’s lovely to speak to and she brought a lot of viewers through Instagram and things like that. People that normally don’t watch women’s golf were the hope, and we’re seeing it now on Instagram and social media,” he said.

“So it’s created a buzz on top of the other great players that we have here.” AFP