Kai Trump‘s first run at an LPGA tournament turned into a rough outing from the very start.
The 18-year-old granddaughter of Donald Trump, who received a sponsor’s exemption to play The Annika, shot a 13-over par 83 — the highest score of the day — to finish last in the 108-player field.
Ranked No. 461 by the American Junior Golf Association, Kai was already facing questions about how she landed the invitation in the first place. And after finishing dead last, some critics said the ending felt like the kind of karma she never saw coming.
Kai’s first three holes out of 72 included two bogeys and a double bogey, though she managed to recover slightly with a birdie on the seventh before closing with another double on the ninth.
Critics, however, do not expect her to deliver an impressive performance, as some compared Kai to professionals like Tiger Woods, who also happens to date her mother, Vanessa.
“She is not as good as Tiger Woods was? OH THE HORROR! IMPEACH, errr I mean TDS and now I guess KTDS is real,” said one Daily Mail reader, while another wrote, “I just came here to ask if she cheats like him #FDT.”
🚨 NEW: Trump is asked about Tiger Woods dating Vanessa Trump, Don. Jr’s ex-wife
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) March 31, 2025
“I love Tiger and I love Vanessa. Vanessa and Don had a good relationship, they broke up quite a while ago. Tiger called me a few months ago and told me. I’m happy for both. Let them both be happy.” pic.twitter.com/UwEr17E5FV
Digging deep into the humiliation of her defeat, a third blasted, “She is in last place! Should never have been given this opportunity with zero experience. There are plenty of talented people out there without rich connections who deserve a shot unlike Trump’s granddaughter. She absolutely sucked but during an interview said she thought she made some great shots? Where those during the bogeys or double bogeys. No sense of the extreme entitlement she enjoys. smh.”
Despite her grandfather’s no-show, Kai said Trump still sent her off with some last-minute encouragement. She recalled him telling her to “go out there, have fun, and don’t get nervous,” adding with a laugh that he couldn’t tune in because “he’s running the world right now, so he’s a little busy.”
But his absence meant he also missed the tougher part: Kai ending her LPGA debut at the very bottom of the leaderboard — a finish that didn’t match the confidence she’d projected beforehand. Speaking to ESPN afterward, she admitted, “I was definitely more nervous than I expected, but I thought I hit a lot of great shots. I hit a lot of good shots just to the wrong spots.”
She added, “Felt like my game is in a good spot, and especially only being a senior in high school.”
A few others blamed Kai’s loss on her not using her grandfather’s caddies, who have been accused of assisting Trump in his golf wins. “Obviously needs Grandpa’s caddy and play on a Trump golf course so they can fix it for her,” said one person, while another added, “If Donald had been caddying for her and filling her card out, she’d be leading the tournament.”
Kai told the press she was introduced to the sport at 2 years old. Next fall, she will mark the start of her collegiate golf career at the University of Miami.
Ahead of the four-day tournament, Kai seemed confident in a press conference but was stumped by a reporters’ questions about her granddad.
“How do you do against Gramps in golf?” asked one reporter. She responded, “He’s pretty good… I mean, we have some tight matches, you know. Can’t say much, but yeah, we have some tight matches.
Kai’s answer to the follow-up question, “Have you beat him yet?” yielded an equally vague response. “I’ll leave that up to you to decide. I don’t know. We play a lot; we have a great time out there. We’re always on the same team,” said Kai.
The teenager made headlines when it was announced that she had received a sponsor invitation to The ANNIKA tournament. Chief Tour Business and Operations Officer Ricki Lasky explained the decision to The Associated Press was tied to “Kai’s broad following and reach” across social media and YouTube as an influencer.
