Kai Trump is the center of attention – and controversy – at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican this week in Belleair, Florida.
A high school senior committed to playing Division 1 golf at the University of Miami, Trump has been given a sponsor’s invite to her first LPGA event. She will retain her amateur status but play with the pros for the week.
Trump is one of three sponsor invites this week – the other two are recent Northwestern graduate and NCAA Champion Lauryn Nguyen and Wake Forest senior Anne-Sterre den Dennen. We have three role models for young girls watching this tournament from three different stages of golf – junior, college and professional.
Beyond the main purpose of a sponsor’s invite, which is to draw attention and people to an event, is the opportunity for these girls. Whether it’s a chance for Nguyen to launch her professional career on the right foot or for Trump to get a taste of her dream, playing in this event is a win-win for the players and the tournament. If President Donald Trump’s name wasn’t associated with Kai Trump, would there really be this much of an uproar over a high schooler receiving an exemption?
Fairway to Green believes in supporting all athletes in the media, especially women. Do you all remember what happened to Simone Biles after the Tokyo Olympics? How the media’s criticism got into her head and affected not only her gymnastics performance, but also her confidence? She was an adult when she worked through that (not that that was right in the first place). Trump is still a kid. She may have just turned 18 years old, but she’s still in high school and dealing with the same unfounded criticisms and accusations as the best athletes in the world.
She can’t help which family she was born into, so what we can say about her last name is that she’s been given an opportunity to her use her platform for good. And that’s what she’s doing – she’s using her skills, passion and fame to elevate women’s golf. That’s all anyone can ask of her.
Now let’s talk about the hate on her golf game. Again, Trump is in high school and shot 13-over in an LPGA Tour event where the golf course is longer and the nerves are ever-present. Most high school girls are learning to break 100 by the time they graduate. Do those girls go on to the top 25 Division 1 schools? No. Is the University of Miami a top 25 golf school? No, it’s currently ranked 68th. Trump’s level of play and the university she signed with match up.
Many Division 1 women’s golf programs outside the top tier recruit based off potential, academics and more. Coaches have certain criteria they need to hit in order to sign their next year of players. Now NIL – name, image, likeness – is a major consideration, too.
Looking at Trump’s golf game, she has power and distance. Fairway to Green’s Kelly Okun asked her how it felt to be in the mix off the tee during her first round, and she said, “It was pretty cool because I know I hit it far, but kind of playing with the best players in the world and being literally right there, or even out driving on some of the holes, felt pretty good. It felt like I have my game in like a good spot and especially only being a senior in high school.”
Distance and power are difficult to teach. Yes, all college golfers go through training once they get to campus, but that doesn’t appear overnight. Trump has an inherent advantage here, and her short game and course management are skills that can be taught.
That’s what college golf is all about development-wise – taking a player’s foundation and unique advantages, milking those and strengthening his or her weaknesses. It is much easier and faster to teach someone to putt more consistently and decrease three-putts per round than it is to add 10 yards to a drive. Ask any coach.
Her namesake is an added bonus for the university from an NIL perspective. Trump may not be the best player on the team her freshman year, but she has the potential to get there with the right coaching and has the scores to contribute regardless of her team rank. What she does bring with her now is her NIL deals, which will add value to the program and its ability to recruit more girls in the future. Again, she’s supporting the future growth of women’s golf by playing in college because she’s financially opening the door for more girls to follow in her footsteps.
Trump’s game has earned her a spot in college golf, and she deserves better in the media. She has handled all the negativity with poise and grace beyond her years, but that doesn’t mean she should have to. Before you take to the comments to hate on Kai Trump, take a second and remember – she’s just a kid.
