Kai Trump played several practice holes with golf legend Annika Sorenstam ahead of her highly-anticipated LPGA Tour debut at the Annika Driven by Gainbridge
20:21 ET, 10 Nov 2025Updated 21:02 ET, 10 Nov 2025
Kai Trump will make her LPGA Tour debut at the Annika Driven by Gainbridge(Image: Getty Images)
Kai Trump hit the greens and fairways with a golfing legend ahead of her highly-anticipated debut on the LPGA Tour.
This week, Trump will compete in the Annika Driven by Gainbridge after receiving a sponsor invite from the tournament host, Pelican Golf Club.
The granddaughter of President Donald Trump is one of three sponsor exemptions for the penultimate event of the LPGA’s schedule, joining Northwestern graduate Lauryn Nguyen and Wake Forest senior Anne-Sterre den Dunnen.
“I’m excited to welcome Kai Trump to our tournament,” tournament host Annika Sorenstam said in an official statement. “She is Pelican Golf Club’s sponsor invitation and I support it. We are all about growing the game, especially to young girls.
READ MORE: Kai Trump appears to accidentally expose timeline behind Donald Trump health issueREAD MORE: Aaron Rodgers’ love life – Danica Patrick claim, ex’s family feud, new mystery wife
“She has a bright future and committed to the University of Miami to play next year. Kai has a tremendous social-media following which we feel will help elevate our event and ultimately the game.”
On Monday, Trump and Sorenstam put their skills to the test during a brief practice round in Belleair, Florida. “No better way to kick off your LPGA Tour debut week than a few holes with the GOAT,” the Annika captioned a photo of the pair.
Though Trump has shown flashes of brilliance during her young golf career, her presence at the Annika has become a topic of fierce debate. The 18-year-old is currently No. 461 in the Rolex AJGA rankings, No. 1,083 in The Universal Golf Ranking, and No. 1,288 by Junior Golf Scoreboard.
At the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley back in March, Trump shot 89-79-83-89 en route to finishing the elite junior tournament at 52 over — good for last place by 22 shots.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
While making an appearance on NBC’s Golf Today, Sorenstam fiercely defended Trump’s presence at the 108-player tournament before looking back on her own career.
“Well, you know that every tournament has sponsor invitations,” she noted. “It’s been going on for years and I believe the PGA Tour, they have even more sponsor invitations.
“I think it’s great, I can only look back on when I got a sponsor invitation to the Colonial, as you know, in 2003. A lot of people had comments at that time, but it was a great opportunity for me and I thought for women’s golf and just golf in general.
READ MORE: Kai Trump left red-faced as end-of-season ranking looks bleak compared to Charlie WoodsREAD MORE: Charlie Woods follows in dad Tiger’s footsteps 35 years later
“You know, we bring different strengths to different tournaments and in this case this is what the club wanted.
“Kai is an up-and-coming player, she’s committed to … Miami as you know,” Sorenstam continued. “And she has aspirations of playing. I think she adds some excitement to it, she has a lot of followers on social media.
“And she loves the game and it’s just super exciting to have her there. I mean, that’s what this tournament is about. Helping young girls fulfill their dream.”
