The president’s granddaughter described her nerves in her first-ever LPGA Tour round on Thursday compared to a political event she experienced last year
19:15 ET, 13 Nov 2025Updated 19:18 ET, 13 Nov 2025
Kai Trump finished her first LPGA Tour round in last place as she battled nerves at The Annika(Image: Getty Images)
Kai Trump admitted that nerves got the best of her in her first LPGA Tour round, claiming she was much more worked up entering her round than perhaps the most visible moment of her life.
On Thursday, Trump competed on a sponsor exemption in The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, her first LPGA Tour event as the 18-year-old prepares to play at the University of Miami in the future.
Things didn’t go to plan for the president’s granddaughter as she finished the round in dead last, shooting a 13-over-par 83 after early struggles left her behind the eight ball from the first hole. Trump said she was more nervous than she expected as she embarked upon realizing a lifelong dream.
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“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,” Trump said. “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.”
This wasn’t Trump’s first time in the spotlight. In fact, she was under a much bigger spotlight last summer when she spoke at the Republican National Convention as Donald Trump officially received his party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
Trump did not have her best day on the course in her LPGA Tour debut at The Annika and sits in last place(Image: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Over 25 million viewers watched the final night of the RNC, during which Kai Trump described Donald as “just a normal grandpa” and even hinted at her own political future.
Yet the first tee at Pelican Golf Club managed to rattle the younger Trump more than that night in Milwaukee.
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“So the first tee I was a little bit more nervous than the RNC. I thought I went in the bunker but I hit way past the bunker,” Trump said.
“I think honestly the adrenaline the whole time, I was hitting it way farther than I normally do, especially around some of the par-3s.
“But, yeah, I mean, compared to the RNC, I would say the first two shots were more nerve-wracking than the RNC.”
Trump, who shot 13-over and is in last place in the 108-woman field at The Annika entering Friday, said it took her nearly half the round to finally get settled.
“To be honest with you, on, like, the 8th hole,” she said of when she finally calmed. “After I hit my shot into 18, and that was honestly the hole I was worried most about, and parred that and I felt like, all right, now we got that out of the way, let’s keep moving on.
“The whole time I was nervous without a doubt. I thought I did pretty good for just first time, being the youngest player in the field.
“I had a great time out there.”
