Kai Trump is competing in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in South Carolina, while Charlie Woods is also taking part in the prestigious golf tournament
02:45, 21 Mar 2025Updated 12:31, 21 Mar 2025
Kai Trump has had a tough time in the Junior Invitational(Image: Getty Images)
Despite improving her score by 10 shots, Kai Trump remains at the bottom of the leaderboard in a prestigious golf tournament.
The 17-year-old granddaughter of United States President Donald Trump is competing in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in South Carolina. Despite being part of a select group of 24 of the world’s best young golfers, she has struggled to keep pace with the competition.
After a challenging opening round on Wednesday where she scored a 17-over-par 89, Trump improved her game on Thursday under the watchful eyes of secret service agents. She finished the day with a score of 79, bringing her total to 24-over-par for the tournament.
READ MORE: Donald Trump ‘cheating’ exposed as ‘spineless’ golf pro blamed for winREAD MORE: Donald Trump likened to Kim Jong Un by tennis legend over outlandish golf claim
However, despite this significant improvement, she still trails the rest of the field by 10 strokes. Meanwhile, Charlie Woods, the 16-year-old son of Tiger, had a better day in the boys’ division. After an initial six-over-par effort on Wednesday, he scored one-over in his second round, placing him 27th out of 34 players.
The Junior Invitational is one of the most esteemed events on the calendar, boasting previous winners such as world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Akshay Bhatia, Joaquin Niemman and Austin Eckroat – all PGA Tour winners – also claimed victory in the tournament during their teenage years. The current girl’s champion, top-ranked Asterisk Talley, is also competing this week.
Woods managed to score four birdies and an eagle, but a double bogey at the ninth – his last hole of the round – pushed him over par for the day. American hopeful Luke Colton and New Zealand’s Joshua Bai are currently leading the pack at six-under-par halfway through the tournament, with 16 year old prodigy Miles Russell just one shot behind in third place.
Charlie Woods is also aiming for a career in golf(Image: Getty Images)
In the girls’ division, Thailand’s Pimpisa Rubrong is leading the charge at five-under-par after scoring a three-under-par 69 on Thursday. She’s ahead of Canada’s Aphrodite Deng by three shots with 36 holes left to play, while California’s Scarlett Schremmer trails by one more stroke.
University of Miami recruit Trump is participating in her second accredited event following her 29th place finish in the Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship last month. She currently holds the 815th spot in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Rankings.
Woods has a bit more tournament experience under his belt, having participated in four AJGA-accredited tournaments prior to this week. He’s ranked 838 and has also had the advantage of playing on a grand stage alongside his father in the PNC Championship in recent years.
