BELLEAIR, Fla. – Speaking to 50,000 attendees on stage at the Republican National Convention? For Kai Trump, that was nothing compared to what she faced Thursday afternoon at Pelican Golf Club.
The 18-year-old Trump, the eldest granddaughter of President Donald Trump, arrived for her LPGA debut at The Annika driven by Gainbridge acting decidedly more serious than the affable teen who breezed through her Tuesday press conference and Wednesday pro-am with a wide smile and the confidence of a seasoned tour pro. Months of anticipation since receiving her sponsor exemption had led to this, and when Trump stepped onto the practice green to roll a few putts, most of the fans quickly gravitated to her and away from world No. 2 Nelly Korda and fan favorite Charley Hull, who were hitting balls on the range about 50 yards away.
One sportsbook set the over/under for Trump’s first round at 92.5.
Some on social media were predicting worse.
Regardless of the expectation, all eyes were locked on Trump as she went through a nervy warmup and headed to the 10th tee, where a few hundred people – plus over a dozen Secret Service and law enforcement types – packed around the box. Everyone was curious how this was going to go, including Trump, first to play in her group that also included Olivia Cowan and major champion Hinako Shibuno.
Trump’s hands shook ever so slightly as she stood over her first tee shot. She took a couple deep breaths, then pulled the club back and swung, her ball leaking a little right and seemingly destined for the right fairway bunker.
Only she carried it, easily. Trump’s big smile returned.
“I think honestly, the adrenaline,” Trump said. “The whole time, I was hitting it way farther than I normally do.”
Trump’s approach caught a tree branch and fell 35 yards short and right of the green, and her chip ended up 12 feet past, saved by a hefty backstop. Her par attempt finished just left of the cup and with that, an opening bogey.
“I would say the first two shots were more nerve-wracking than the RNC,” Trump added.
BELLEAIR, FL - NOVEMBER 13: University of Miami commit Kai Trump plays her tee shot on the 10th hole during The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on November 13, 2025, at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Trump followed with three more bogeys, flying approach shots 20 yards past flags at Nos. 11 and 12. On the latter, a par-3, her tee shot came to rest inside the tunnel that leads under the grandstand and to the next hole. She stubbed her chip but then lipped out her 20-footer from the fringe. At the par-4 13th, her 15-yard chip bounded 20 feet past the flag.
Trump admitted on Tuesday that she struggles with her short game, saying, “You need to have good hands around the greens. I would say that’s a weakness of mine.”
But then came the first flash of the potential talked about by her future coaches at the University of Miami, including assistant Jim Garren, who followed Trump’s round. After her drive just leaked into the right fairway bunker at the par-4 16th, Trump laid up into a little valley short of the green. Having yet to hit an elite chip, Trump played the shot into the slope and watched it check about 4 feet from the hole.
“Excellent!” yelled Trump’s mother, Vanessa, who then apologized to nearby fans, saying, “Sorry, I just had to cheer for my daughter.” They all understood the proud-parent moment, and Kai went on to tap in for her second of three front-nine pars.
Though Trump bogeyed the par-4 17th, she played another great pitch some 40 yards over the greenside bunkers to give herself a decent look for par. And she capped her opening 6-over 41 by smashing a 3-wood from the rough, over water and to 30 feet at the par-4 18th.
That was when, Trump admitted, she finally settled into her round.
“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,” Trump said. “The whole time I was nervous, without a doubt. I thought I did pretty good for just my first time, being the youngest player in the field. I had a great time out there.”
Trump showed her inexperience at times on her final nine, depositing approach shots from the fairway into greenside bunkers on Nos. 1 and 2, resulting in bogey and double bogey respectively. But as she did several times Thursday, she bounced back. She hit a 5-iron to 15 feet left of the hole at the 184-yard, par-3 third before adding a par with a nice lag up the shelf at the par-4 fourth. Though Trump mostly showed nice speed on the greens, she three-putted the par-4 fifth four another double and the par-5 seventh for bogey. In between, she made her longest putt of the day, an 8-footer for par after leaving a 25-footer up the hill well short.
With temperatures cooling off and daylight fading, Trump put on a jacket for the final few holes. As she prepared to hit wood into the lengthy par-4 eighth, she stared straight into the sun and topped the approach, her ball rolling about 100 yards down the fairway to 129 yards. Trump immediately ripped the jacket off and put on some sunglasses. It worked, as she hit arguably her best shot of the day, sticking a 46-degree wedge to 4 feet and setting up her most miraculous par of the round.
“I’m like, you know what? I know this is my type of shot, just a tight little draw in, and I’ve hit that shot multiple times,” Trump said. “I kind of just trusted myself, and I did it.”
Though Trump closed in bogey, hitting another chip well past the cup, her 13-over 83, while worst in the field by four shots and 19 strokes higher than leader Haeran Ryu, obliterated the over/under and likely most every expectation.
“I was definitely more nervous than I expected, but I thought I hit a lot of great shots out there,” said Trump, who found 8 of 14 fairways, hit 7 of 18 greens and struck 36 putts. “I hit a lot of good shots just to the wrong spots. 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 afterward.”
Even Annika Sorenstam, who walked a few holes, was left impressed.
“That’s a pretty good score, actually,” Sorenstam said. “It’s not the easiest, the greens are probably the fastest she’s ever seen, and it’s longer than she normally plays in the junior events. So, I’m proud of her. There’s a lot of pressure on her. Everybody is staring her down. Good for her. I’m sure she wanted to be in a better position, but it’s not easy out here.”
For Garren, the score was irrelevant.
“I’m going by more of what I saw out of her,” Garren said. “Off the tee, she handled herself with the best in the world. We’re a couple drives that are 4 or 5 yards farther left or right, irons shots get easier, they snuck into the trees, snuck into the rough. We saw maybe two irons shots that weren’t well placed, and all a sudden, you shoot a higher number out here.
“Physically, I’m very excited about what I saw today.”
Trump grinned when asked about keeping up with the pros, at least with her length.
“It was pretty cool because I know I hit it far,” Trump said, “but kind of playing with the best players in the world and being literally right there or even outdriving on some of the holes, it felt pretty good. Felt like my game is in a good spot.”
After her post-round interview concluded, Trump headed to the rope line to sign some autographs for the few dozen people who had followed her all day.
“Hands out of pockets and out of bags!” screamed one member of her security team.
Such is the life of the granddaughter of the president.
Kai proved again Thursday that despite the ever-present spotlight and nerves, she’s not afraid of a challenge.