Miami (AFP) – Kai Trump conquered her nerves to cap her LPGA debut with a five-over par 75 on Friday and said she’d have plenty of positives to discuss with her grandfather, US President Donald Trump. The 18-year-old high school senior, who has signed to play for the University of Miami next year, played the Annika at Pelican tournament in Florida on a sponsor’s invitation.
While she’ll miss the cut and almost certainly finish last, she said her eight-stroke improvement from Thursday to Friday was something to be proud of. “The first day I was definitely really nervous,” Trump said. “I think the nerves just got to me. When I went out there today I felt very calm and peaceful, to be honest with you. And that’s why I played better.”
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There were miscues on Friday, including a triple-bogey at the par-four fifth, where she hit a tree. “Things are going to happen,” Trump said. “Once it happens you can’t go back in time and fix it. The best thing I could do is move on.” By then she’d already nabbed her first LPGA birdie at the third and she bounced back from the big number with an eight-foot birdie at the seventh.
There were back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12 – where she nearly had a hole in one with an eight-iron from 140 yards. “I hit like a tight little draw into it,” she said. “Tried not to get too high because of the wind. It was a great shot.” She said when she speaks to President Trump about her first LPGA experience, which attracted large and friendly crowds to watch her play, she’d emphasize she “hit a great shot on 18 two days in a row.”
On both days she used a three-wood to find the green at 18. Her eight-foot downhill birdie putt didn’t drop on Friday, but her closing par polished off a satisfying round. “I did everything I possibly could have done for this tournament,” said Trump, who had said on Thursday she felt more nervous on the first tee than she had speaking on her grandfather’s behalf at the Republican National Convention last year. “I think if you prepare right the nerves — they’re always going to be there, right? They can be a little softened.”
– Creating a buzz – The decision to offer the invitation to Trump, who is ranked just 461st in the American Junior Golf Association rankings, was criticized in some quarters. But Pelican Golf Club owner Don Doyle Jr. said this week that one purpose of sponsor’s exemptions is to bring attention to an event and Trump, with her millions of social media followers and poised public persona, was a perfect choice to attract viewers who don’t necessarily follow women’s golf.
“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 was the hope, and we’re seeing it now on Instagram and social media,” Doyle said. “So it’s created a buzz on top of the other great players that we have here.”
Swedish great Annika Sorenstam, who hosts the event, said it was also a chance for Trump to grow as a golfer. “I don’t think anybody here is thinking that she will be the one holding the trophy on Sunday,” Sorenstam said this week. “It’s about opportunities and memories and lessons learned. There will be lessons learned. Take them to the future and learn. That’s how we grow.”
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