Kai Trump at LPGA: Trump's granddaughter spills the beans on talk with grandpa and Tiger Woods

Kai Trump, 18, makes her LPGA debut at The Annika after a sponsor exemption, with support from grandfather Donald Trump and advice from Tiger Woods.

Published on: Nov 13, 2025, 03:32:29 IST

By Shirin Gupta

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Kai Trump, the 18-year-old granddaughter of Donald Trump, is set to tee up in her first LPGA event this week after receiving a sponsor exemption to The Annika.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his granddaughter Kai Trump attend the 45th Ryder Cup golf competition at Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York. (via REUTERS)

The amateur golfer has been preparing under the spotlight. She has received encouragement from both her grandfather and golfing legend Tiger Woods.

In a candid press conference ahead of the event, Kai revealed Woods some advice. “He told me to go out there and have fun and just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens,” Woods told her.

President Donald Trump and the grandfather of Kai also told her to “go out there and have fun,” Reuters reported.

Also read: Donald Trump shares update on son Barron's progress at NYU, ‘He’s a good…’

Debut in the professional sports arena

Kai received an invitation to The Annika at Pelican Golf Club, which marks one of the LPGA Tour's key tournaments outside the majors.

Her exemption drew immediate scrutiny as she ranked 461st in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and does not carry the typical performance metrics of a seasoned pro, as per Sky Sports.

Tournament host and ten-time major champion Annika Sorenstam told Golf talking about Kai, “To be 18 and hear all the comments … she must be super tough on the inside.”

With nearly nine million followers across social platforms, Kai’s presence also serves a promotional purpose. Golf Monthly reports say that her invite may be driven more by name recognition than competitive readiness.

Kai insists that she is here to learn. “I think I’m going to learn a lot no matter what happens … I’m just going to go out there and have fun and see which way it goes.”

Kai, speaking in a video shared to her Instagram, said, "It has been a dream of mine to compete at the professional level, and I’d like to thank the Pelican Golf Club for the invitation. I’m looking forward to teeing up and competing with the best players in the world."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shirin Gupta
Shirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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