Donald Trump’s granddaughter in last after controversial LPGA debut | Golf

U.S. President Donald Trump’s granddaughter, Kai Trump, had a challenging start to her LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) debut on Thursday. The 18-year-old amateur recorded a 13-over-par opening round at the Annika tournament in Florida, leaving her trailing at the bottom of the leaderboard after the first day.

Ranked 461st in the American Junior Golf Association rankings and participating in only her fourth event of the year, Trump finished four strokes behind the next-closest player. She was a staggering 19 shots adrift of leader Ryu Hae-ran, who opened with a six-under 64.

She was granted a sponsor’s exemption to compete in the tournament, where she is up against some of the sport’s biggest names, including two-time major winner and reigning champion Nelly Korda.

Trump, who boasts over nine million followers across her social media platforms, recently joined the University of Miami’s Hurricanes for the 2026-27 season.

“I was definitely more nervous than I expected, but I thought I hit a lot of great shots out there,” Trump admitted 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.”

Despite his absence in Florida this week, Donald Trump offered some advice to his granddaughter ahead of her professional golf debut on Thursday.

As reported by The Independent, Kai stated: “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 tournament boasts a whopping prize fund of £2.45million ($3.25m) and is renowned for having one of the most competitive fields outside of the majors.

In a statement last month regarding her participation, Ricki Lasky, chief tour business and operations officer at the LPGA, defended the contentious decision to invite Kai.

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.”