USA TODAY National
BELLEAIR, Florida – Kai Trump’s first round on the LPGA was a success by any measure. The nerves on her opening tee shot, she said, were more than what she felt when she spoke at the Republican National Convention last year. That caught her by surprise. So, too, did the drive that sailed over the bunker down the right side of the fairway in front of a packed gallery around the 10th tee, her opening hole, at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
Trump, 18, has played a limited competitive schedule as a junior golfer. Teeing it up at an LPGA event on a sponsor invitation alongside the best players in the world was an extraordinary leap from what she’s previously experienced inside the ropes.
And yet, the eldest granddaughter of President Donald J. Trump easily boasts the most recognizable name in the field. Fox and Friends talked about Kai's LPGA debut on the couch Thursday morning and the Wall Street Journal wrote on X that she “might already be the most famous women’s golfer on the planet.”
Kai Trump's gallery was the biggest
The Secret Service peppered Trump’s gallery on Thursday, which was easily the biggest on the course by a wide margin on her front nine.
Trump’s opening 83 over the par-70 layout at Pelican Golf Club matched her scoring average on the AJGA.
“The whole time I was nervous without a doubt,” she said with a big grin. “I thought I did pretty good for just the first time, being the youngest player in the field. I had a great time out there.”
Rough start to Kai Trump's round
Trump bogeyed the first four holes, finding the tunnel behind the green on the par-3 12th thanks to a shot of adrenaline.
“Obviously, I made mistakes, and for my first event that's going to happen,” said Trump, “but I could have just stayed level the whole time. Like I don't think I really ever got too ahead of myself.”
On the demanding par-4 18th, Trump faced a brutally long wait before hitting her approach shot with a fairway metal over water. She and her caddie, Allan Kournikova, the brother of Anna Kournikova and a longtime family friend, passed the time talking about dinner plans.
Trump hit the green and two-putted for par, relieved to get past the hole she was most worried about unscathed. The gallery that watched her on the 18th green was similar to a late Sunday crowd at this event.
Trump improved on back nine
On the back nine, Trump racked up two double-bogeys but showed tremendous bounce-back on the par-4 eighth hole after she topped her approach shot about 100 yards and then stuffed a wedge to 4 feet from 129 yards.
“I know this is my type of shot, just a tight little draw in and I've hit that shot multiple times,” said Trump. “I kind of just trusted myself and I did it. You know, you've got to bounce back. You can't dwell on a bad shot. If I was dwelling on a bad shot, it would make my life harder, so kind of just moved on from it.”
Trump didn’t make a birdie on the day. She hit eight fairways, seven greens and took 36 putts in her opening round, perhaps losing a bit of focus as the shadows grew long. She finished last in the field of 108 by four strokes with Bernedetta Moresco her closest competitor with a 79. South Korea’s Haeran Ryu leads the field with a 64.
Miami assistant coach had a busy day
Miami assistant Jim Garren began the day with a TV hit on Fox Business, talking about Trump, who officially signed with the Hurricanes this week. For Garren, Day 1 at Pelican wasn’t about score. He thought she handled the stage well and, physically, saw a lot that he liked, particularly off the tee. He believes her ceiling is high.
Garren told Trump going into the event that there’s nothing she’ll ever do on the next level that will compare to what she felt today.
“We could be in the national championship match,” said Garren, “and it won't feel like that first tee felt. As a coach, you can't emulate that in practice.”
Kai’s mother, Vanessa, dressed in black and wearing a Sun Day Red hat, quietly followed every shot from both inside and outside the ropes. The former wife of Donald Trump Jr., Vanessa, now dates Tiger Woods.
Golf has long been part of the family’s DNA.
“I had five kids in seven years,” said Vanessa. “One was playing, and I’d have one either in the belly or one crawling around the golf course. So they’ve all learned to play since they could really hold a club.”
Mom said the decision to play this week was Kai’s alone, just as it was Kai who decided on her own that she’d speak at the RNC last July. She pulled that off without any practice.
When asked where that confidence comes from, Vanessa said “Honestly, I think it's either you have it or you don't, right? Just to speak in front of hundreds of people or thousands of people. Not everyone can really train to do that. She's a natural speaker, and I think she did a fantastic job.”
Relaxed attitude helped Kai Trump
Kai Trump’s ease under the spotlight certainly served her well in the opening round at Pelican. After the round, the Secret Service asked the several dozen fans waiting for an autograph to get their hands out of their pockets and bags. While Trump carries herself in a manner that puts others at ease, there are constant subtle and not-so-subtle reminders that she's unlike any other player in the game.
As tournament host Annika Sorenstam made her way to a gathering behind the range Thursday evening, she told a small group of reporters that Trump’s 83 was a pretty good score.
“I mean, it’s not that easy,” said the 10-time major winner. “The greens are probably the fastest she’s ever seen and, of course, longer than she normally plays in junior events. I’m proud of her. There’s a lot of pressure on her. Everybody is, you know, staring her down. Good for her.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Kai Trump shoots 83 in LPGA debut, a resounding success — and we followed her all day
Reporting by Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek / Golfweek
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