Kai Trump has received advice from the President of the United States, World Golf Hall of Fame member Annika Sorenstam and 15-time major champion Tiger Woods ahead of her LPGA Tour debut this week.
Trump, 18, received a sponsor’s invite to The Annika Driven by Gainbridge, which has drawn the ire of many critics.
A high school senior who has committed to play for the University of Miami, Trump has had middling success in local events but brings nearly nine million followers across social media platforms and is the granddaughter of President Donald Trump.
Woods, who is dating Kai Trump’s mother, Vanessa, offered his advice on the event at Pelican Golf Club in Naples, Fla.
“I mean, he is the best golfer in the entire world. I would say that. And even better person,” Trump said Tuesday. “He told me to go out there and have fun and just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens.”
Trump played nine holes of a pro-am round on Monday with tournament host Sorenstam, who came away impressed by the youngster’s passion for the game and comfort level in the intense spotlight following her.
“I just don’t know how she does it, honestly,” Sorenstam said. “To be (18) years old and hear all the comments, she must be super tough on the inside. I’m sure we can all relate what it’s like to get criticism here and there, but she gets it a thousand times.
“So that’s why I just want to give her a break, come out here and have fun. We want her to feel like family here and I want her to feel welcome. I mean, give this girl a chance, right? I think that’s our responsibility this week.”
Trump said she never hesitated when offered a sponsor exemption from Dan Doyle Jr., the owner of Pelican Golf Club. Sorenstam made her invitation to Wake Forest senior Anne-Sterre den Dunnen while Gainbridge gave its invite to Northwestern All-American Lauryn Nguyen.
Doyle, the CEO of Tampa-based DEX Imaging, has donated to Republican campaign committees. He readily acknowledged the interest that Trump’s presence is generating around this week’s event.
“The idea of the exemption, when you go into the history of exemptions, is to bring attention to an event,” Doyle said. “You got see (Kai Trump) live. She’s lovely to speak to and she brought a lot of viewers through Instagram and things like that that normally don’t watch women’s golf.”
Trump said that her ball-striking is her strength, while acknowledging she needs to improve around the greens. She currently does not have a dedicated coach and struggled at the Junior Invitational, where Trump shot 89-79-83-89 to finish a distant last in a field of 24 golfers.
But she has been able to lean on advice from the President himself.
“My grandpa pretty much told me go out there and have fun. Just don’t get nervous. Try my best not to,” said Trump, who offered that the President is “pretty good” at golf but declined to say whether she has beaten her grandfather on the course yet.
It all sets the stage for what promises to be a highly watched week, beginning with Wednesday’s pro-am that will include live coverage of Caitlin Clark, the WNBA star who will be paired with defending champion and world No. 2 Nelly Korda.
It will be an extreme longshot for Kai Trump to make the cut, much less contend over the weekend. Sorenstam hopes golf fans who tune in to watch Trump focus on the courage she shows in competing against the world’s best players while shining a positive light on women’s golf.
“I don’t think anybody here is thinking that she will be the one holding the trophy on Sunday,” Sorenstam said. “I spoke to her a little bit yesterday. You know, just make the most out of this week. There will be lessons learned. Take them to the future and learn.
“Then you go out there and do your best. That’s really all she can do and I think that’s all anybody would love to see. So I wish her the best. We’ve offered to help her in different ways. I’m very impressed with her, as (are) many others that are here. I want women’s golf to succeed, so we can either do this together or we can not.
“I choose the first one.”
