Kai Trump finished her first LPGA Tour round in dead last, carding a 13-over 83 in The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, but found herself optimistic about her performance on Thursday
Kai Trump finished her first LPGA Tour round in last place with a score of 13-over-par, but that didn’t dampen her enthusiasm(Image: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Kai Trump wrapped up her debut LPGA Tour round at the bottom of the leaderboard, shooting a 13-over 83 at The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, yet remained upbeat about her Thursday performance.
Competing on a sponsor exemption, the 18 year old granddaughter of President Trump struggled from the opening hole, with her game deteriorating as the round progressed. Although she managed to avoid a complete meltdown in Florida, she couldn’t register a single birdie and posted two double-bogeys across her 18 holes.
Despite the challenging day, Trump, who has committed to the University of Miami, maintained a positive outlook when discussing her round afterward, viewing it as a valuable learning opportunity and finding bright spots in her performance. She even jokingly compared the tournament to the RNC, where she spoke last year.
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“I learned a lot. It was amazing. I had a great time out there,” Trump said. “Yeah, didn’t play the way I wanted obviously, but for my first event ever I think I played pretty good.”
Trump began her round on the back nine, dropping shots on four consecutive holes and reaching the turn at 6-over par.
Her second nine featured more pars, but the two double-bogeys pushed her score higher and ensured she’d finish Friday at the foot of the standings.
The first-timer acknowledged that the pressure of competing in her most significant tournament to date proved overwhelming early on.
Kai Trump was honest about her opening round after finishing dead last(Image: Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Yeah, I was definitely more nervous than I expected, but I thought I hit a lot of great shots out there. I hit a lot of good shots just to the wrong spots.
“And obviously being, you know, 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.”
Trump found encouragement in matching the driving distances of the professionals she competed with, Hinako Shiuno and Olivia Cowan.
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“It was pretty cool because I know I hit it far,” Trump said.
“But kind of playing with the best players in the world and being literally right there or even outdriving on some of the holes, it felt pretty good.
“Felt like my game is in a good spot, and especially only being a senior in high school. It was cool to see that.”
Trump will return to competition early Friday morning, currently positioned in 108th place, four shots behind Benedetta Moresco in 107th.
