Kai Trump struggled at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley this week, with the granddaughter of U.S. President Donald Trump finishing at the bottom of the leaderboard
Joshua Lees Senior Golf Writer
22:03, 22 Mar 2025Updated 22:03, 22 Mar 2025
Kai Trump has had a tough time in the Junior Invitational(Image: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
Despite being the granddaughter of the US President, Kai Trump experienced an awkward moment at a golf tournament this week when an announcer mistakenly called her by the wrong name.
Kai was among the 24 players chosen to participate in the esteemed Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in South Carolina, which features some of the world’s top junior golfers. She struggled and found herself bottom of the leaderboard.
However, it seemed that the 17 year old granddaughter of Donald Trump was the crowd favorite. Supporters of the president flocked to the South Carolina golf course to watch the young golfer, who seems to have inherited her grandfather’s love for the sport.
However, as she began her round this week, there was a mix-up with her identity. The Daily Mail reported that the first tee caller announced Kai as one of her playing partners, before quickly correcting his mistake.
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Despite the support from the crowd, Kai had a challenging week at Sage Valley, struggling to find her best form. She started her opening round solidly with five pars in a row, but the next 13 holes saw her score 17-over-par.
This put her at the bottom of the leaderboard, but she returned for her second round the following day and showed significant improvement, scoring 10 shots better than her opening 17-over 89 with a seven-over 79. However, the third round proved to be another difficult day.
Kai racked up an 11-over 83 on the third day, leaving her languishing at the end of the pack among the 24 competitors. Despite the challenges this week has brought to the young golfer, her skills recently piqued the interest of one of the world’s top golfers.
Kai Trump recently earned the praise of Rory McIlroy(Image: Getty Images)
The teenager, who happens to be the grandchild of President Trump, managed to turn heads, including that of four-time major winner and current world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, with her performance at a charity match at Torrey Pines.
The event was organized to support those affected by the devastating wildfires in California earlier this year. On her YouTube channel, Kai shared a moment from her round with McIlroy, where the seasoned pro from Northern Ireland was overheard praising her: “Good shot, Kai. You’re too good for this YouTube golf.”
To which she wittily retorted: “Honestly, I think that’s what it is. I’m just too good.”
