BELLEAIR, Fla. — The spotlight at The Annika, the penultimate event of the LPGA Tour’s 2025 season, belonged to Kai Trump.
Even before her 12:32 p.m. tee time Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump’s granddaughter drew a sizable following of fans.
Huddled along the Pelican Golf Club driving range, dozens watched Kai Trump prepare for her Tour debut. They ranged from young children in camouflage Trump hats to older golf fans dressed more neutrally.
After Trump left the driving range and walked toward where she would tee off at the 10th hole, the driving range essentially emptied.
The crowd grew beyond 100 as Trump got ready to tee off. As she was announced at the start of her round, the crowd erupted in cheers, and just about every spectator seemed to be filming the moment. Her first shot was a drive up the middle of the fairway.
Trump’s grouping was distinguishable all afternoon long, solely by the sheer size of the conglomerate of fans supporting her. The secret service presence gave it away, too.
While other players were left with a small smattering of support as the afternoon turned to night, Trump’s group maintained dozens of fans.
Even as Trump fell in the standings, the crowd was palpably invested in each of her swings.
Narrowly wide putts elicited a few frustrated sighs, with their brunt directed at the sometimes cruel game, not at Trump’s miss. Ensuing moments of persistence provided space for encouraging cheers, and an impressive putt on the 18th hole allowed the crowd to genuinely erupt.
The intrigue in the 18-year-old’s play was to be expected, as she received a sponsor’s exemption to compete alongside some of the world’s best golfers largely because of her following on social media. She has 3.4 million followers on TikTok, 2.5 million on Instagram and 1.3 million on her YouTube channel.
Trump was grouped with Japanese golfer Hinako Shibuno, who ranks 115th globally and has $3.4 million in career earnings; and German golfer Olivia Cowan, who is ranked 199th.
Trump, who has signed to play Division I golf at the University of Miami after she graduates from high school in the spring, is a strong golfer in her own right.
But as the no. 461 female player in the current American Junior Golf Association rankings, she is far from the skill level of the rest of The Annika’s field.
She shot 13-over 83 Thursday, last in the 108-player field. Cowan was tied for eighth at 2-under, four shots behind first-round leader Haeran Ryu. Shibuno tied for 54th at 1-over. The top 65 players, including ties, will make the weekend cut.
That did not matter to those who came to watch Trump.
Her fans were proud to see her compete against professionals while bringing more attention to The Annika’s popularity, growing both women’s golf and her personal brand.
Elaine Davis, who lives walking distance from the course and attends the tournament annually, said Thursday’s opening round was better attended than in previous years, and she attributed that to Trump’s presence.
“She’s done a lot for this local tournament,” said Davis, who became a fan of the young golfer through her videos playing with President Trump.
Kristy Thornton brought her daughter, Ayla, from their Land O’ Lakes home, because Ayla is a longtime youth golfer with aspirations to play collegiately.
Ayla enjoys the tournament generally but was especially eager to see Trump.
The same was true for the family of Belleair’s Tracy Phillips.
“We were extremely excited, and so were our kids,” said Phillips of when Trump was added to the field.
Barb Riggs, who traveled from Greenville, S.C., praised Trump for setting an example for other budding golfers.
“What she’s doing for the sport at 18 years old is just phenomenal,” Riggs said. “She’s going to teach a lot of young kids the sport and how to get into it. It’s awesome.”
Watching among the fans was Jim Garren, Miami’s assistant women’s golf coach. He was thrilled to see Trump gaining “invaluable experience” in a pressure situation impossible to emulate otherwise.
“She’s going to learn a lot about herself (Thursday),” Garren said. “But I think she should be very proud of where she’s at right now.”
For her part, Trump was mostly serious and composed, tuning out the uproar and frequently leaning on caddie Allan Kournikova, who she grew up with.
She seemed to be sticking with the strategy she set during her media availability on Tuesday.
“I’m just going to go out there and have fun and see which way it goes,” Trump said. “I’m going to take a lot away from it. Competing with the best players is going to be cool. To be inside the ropes with them playing with them, learning what kind of shots they hit.”
