President Donald Trump’s granddaughter made a splash on the green this week in Florida.
Kai Trump, a high school senior, played in the second round of an LPGA tournament hosted by Hall of Fame golfer Annnika Sorenstam.
Trump, 18, didn’t make the cut after finishing last Friday among 108 players with a two-round total of 18-over, 27 shots behind the leader, the Los Angeles Times reported.
But after a weak showing Thursday, she rebounded, landing briefly under par with four birdies and a near hole-in-one on Friday.
Asked what she’d tell her golfing grandfather about her round, she said, “That I hit a great shot on 18 two days in a row.”
Kai Trump enjoys a prominent social media presence with nearly 9 million followers — not all of them fans.
And the critics weighed in, wondering how she got a sponsor invitation to the tournament. Dan Doyle Jr., owner of Pelican Golf Club, where the tournament was held, acknowledged her invitation was more about publicity than talent, the Times reported.
“The idea of the exemption, when you go into the history of exemptions, is to bring attention to an event,” Doyle told reporters. “You got to see her live, she’s lovely to speak to.
“And she’s brought a lot of viewers through Instagram, and things like that, who normally don’t watch women’s golf. That was the hope. And we’re seeing that now.”
Trump, who is ranked No. 461 by the American Junior Golf Association, will attend the University of Miami next year, the Times reported.
Sorenstam said she felt for young Trump having to deal with pressure of the spotlight and the glare of critics.
“I just don’t know how she does it, honestly,” Sorenstam said. “To be 18 years old and hear all the comments, she must be super tough on the inside. I’m sure we can all relate what it’s like to get criticism here and there, but she gets it a thousand times.”
In 2003 Sorenstam got an exemption to play in the Bank of America Colonial, the first woman to play in a men’s PGA Tour event in 58 years.
“That was, at the time, maybe a little bit of a controversial invite,” Sorenstam said, according to the Times. “In the end, I certainly appreciated it. It just brings attention to the tournament, to the sport and to women’s sports, which I think is what we want.”
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