Caitlin Clark won’t be the biggest name at this week’s LPGA event. That distinction goes to Kai Trump, the eldest granddaughter of President Donald Trump. While WNBA superstar Clark is once again competing in the event’s pro-am, Kai is part of the 108-player field.
The 18-year-old Trump is the eldest daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and his former wife Vanessa and will make her LPGA debut at the tour’s penultimate event of the year, The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, Nov. 13-16, in Belleair, Florida.
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One of three amateurs in the field, Kai is expected to meet with the media Tuesday, play in the pro-am Wednesday and begin the competition Thursday.
Here’s a primer on what to know about her special invitation:
Kai Trump signed with Miami last week
Kai Trump puts pen to paper, signing with the University of Miami women’s golf during a fall signing ceremony on Nov. 7, 2025, at her high school.
Kai Trump made it official last Friday, signing her letter of intent to play for the Miami Hurricanes beginning next fall. She’ll miss playing with her team for the Class 1A state championship while she competes at The Annika.
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The Hurricanes are currently ranked 68th in the country and finished off the fall season last month with a win at the White Sands Invitational in the Bahamas.
How she got in the field
Signage is seen during the first round of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican at Pelican Golf Club on November 09, 2023 in Belleair, Florida.
The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican gets three invitations, and each major stakeholder gets to pick one. Host Annika Sorenstam’s went to Wake Forest senior Anne-Sterre den Dunnen. The Demon Deacons won the 2025 Annika Intercollegiate, and den Dunnen earned the exemption, which is given to a member of the winning team. Gainbridge invited Northwestern All-American Lauryn Nguyen. And the club, owned by the Doyle family, invited Trump.
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Fifteen of the 25 players in the world will be in the field this week, including three-time winner Nelly Korda.
Kai Trump’s golf rankings
U.S. President Donald Trump, joined by his granddaughter Kai Trump, departs the White House on September 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Trump’s Rolex AJGA Ranking is 461st. She played in three AJGA events this season with a scoring average of 83.6. At the premiere Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, she finished a distant last with rounds of 89-79-83-89. She has yet to play in a USGA event and is not listed in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. In the Universal Golf Rankings, she’s 1,083rd. In the Junior Golf Scoreboard rankings, she’s 1,288th.
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RNC spotlight
Kai Trump, daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and granddaughter of former President Donald Trump, walks on stage during the third day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum.
At the Republican National Convention last July, Kai made headlines when she stepped up to the mic to tell the world about her “normal grandpa.”
Kai drew plenty of laughs during her speech, particularly when she noted her grandfather often calls while she’s in school to ask about her golf game and tell her about his.
“When we play golf together, if I’m not on his team, he’ll try to get inside of my head, and he’s always surprised I don’t let him get to me,” Kai said.
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“But I have to remind him, I’m a Trump, too.”
NIL and clothing line
Kai Trump boasts something few professional golfers even can – her own clothing line. Launched the week of the Ryder Cup in September, Kai was seen wearing a white sweatshirt with her own “KT” logo printed on the front alongside her grandfather at Bethpage Black. Her signature appears on the sleeve. They sold for $130 each.
Last July, she launched an NIL deal with Accelerator Active Energy as an equity partner alongside former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne and NFL star Travis Kelce.
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In February, she signed an endorsement deal with TaylorMade. Trump is represented by GSE Worldwide, whose clients include Bryson DeChambeau and Lexi Thompson.
Kai Trump announces new NIL partnership with Accelerator Active Energy with a presidential-themed speech.
Social media juggernaut
With 1.35 million subscribers to her YouTube channel alone, Kai Trump’s social medial presence dwarfs that of popular LPGA players like Nelly Korda and Charley Hull.
On Instagram, she boasts 2.5 million followers while TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) combine for nearly 4.5 million.
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A recent video of Kai playing golf with grandfather has 3.6 million views while her trip to the Ryder Cup has 1.8 million.
Kai’s X post announcing her invitation to The Annika has nearly 1 million views to date.
Becoming a regular at big golf events
Kai Trump and Tiger Woods arrive at Torrey Pines during the final round of the 2025 Genesis Invitational.
Before she was at the Ryder Cup, Kai joined Tiger Woods at the 2025 Genesis Invitational for a TaylorMade promotion. She played in the pro-am with her father and Rory McIlroy.
Last March, Woods confirmed his relationship with Kai Trump’s mother, Vanessa, on X.
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Kai Trump and Woods’ son, Charlie, attend the same school in Palm Beach, Florida, and have teed it in up some of the same junior events.
Kai Trump and Charlie Woods at the 41st Nicklaus Junior Championship at the Tequesta Country Club on June 23, 2025 in Tequesta, Florida.
Earlier this year, Kai was in LPGA player Dani Holmqvist’s glamorous wedding at Mar-a-Lago Club.
LPGA player Dani Holmqvist and Charles Schick tied the knot at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday. Vanessa Trump and daughters Chloe and Kai Trump were part of the wedding party.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Everything to know about Kai Trump’s golf resume before LPGA debut
