Perhaps not. But she’ll make her LPGA Tour debut next month thanks to a sponsor exemption.
I will be making my LPGA Tour debut in November at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican! See you November 10-16 – at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, FL. Visit https://t.co/iUuh3w1b47 @theannikalpga @ANNIKA59 @LPGA for more information. pic.twitter.com/mmqVfMFukD
— Kai Trump (@kaitrump) October 28, 2025
Kai received a sponsor exemption in late October to play in the Annika at Pelican Golf Club, November 13–16. This is the penultimate event on the LPGA schedule and it “typically has one of the strongest fields of the year outside the majors,” according to the AP. She is currently 461 in the AJGA girls ranking.
Ricki Lasky, LPGA’s chief tour business and operations officer, noted in a press release that sponsor invitations are “an important way to spotlight emerging talent” and bring attention to the tournaments. As for Kai’s qualifications, she noted that her “broad following and reach are helping introduce golf to new audiences, especially among younger fans.”
As Golf.com’s Claire Rogers explained, Kai is far from the first person to receive a controversial sponsor exemption:
In a piece for Golf Monthly, Alison Root described Kai receiving a sponsor’s exemption as an “understandable, if regrettable, business decision”:
For every available exemption, the up-and-coming college stars, struggling tour players, and international talents are grinding away and would give anything just for a chance to compete.
When a spot goes to a player whose main credential seems to be her last name and her social media reach, it must feel like a slap in the face to those who are further down the road in their journey of dedicating their lives to golf. I can only imagine how frustrating this must feel for them, but I guess that’s just the way the world works.
I understand that a tournament is a business, and clearly Trump’s invitation perfectly meets the commercial criteria of the tournament sponsor, for which these invitations are a core benefit of sponsorship. Who will help us sell the most tickets, attract the most corporate hospitality, and generate the most buzz?
It just confirms that connections and marketability matter more than four years of top-tier college play or consistent results on developmental tours.
Root added that she had “no personal criticism against Trump,” and doesn’t “envy the intense spotlight and scrutiny she will be under.”
