Kai Trump, the 18-year-old granddaughter of President Donald Trump, is set to make her LPGA Tour debut.
Kai Trump received a sponsor invitation to compete at The ANNIKA, the penultimate event of the 2025 LPGA Tour season, at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, from Nov. 13-16. The four-day tournament features a $3.25 million purse and a field of 108 participants, including three-time ANNIKA champion Nelly Korda and 2023 champion Lilia Vu.
“My dream has been to compete with the best in the world on the LPGA Tour, and I am thrilled to be able to compete,” Trump said in a statement. “This event will be an incredible experience. I look forward meeting and competing against so many of my heroes and mentors in golf as I make my LPGA Tour debut.”
Trump, the eldest daughter of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump and the first granddaughter of President Trump, is a senior at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach, Florida, and has committed to play golf at the University of Miami in 2026. Trump attended the 2025 Ryder Cup competition alongside her grandfather in September in New York and signed an endorsement deal with TaylorMade earlier this year.
Pelican Golf Club said it extended a sponsor invitation to Trump due in part to the teen’s ‘broad following and reach (that) are helping introduce golf to new audiences, especially among younger fans.’ Trump boasts over 2.5 million followers on Instagram and 1.3 million subscribers on YouTube.
“Kai Trump has a tremendous passion for the game and is expanding the sport to broader audiences,” said Justin Sheehan, Pelican Golf Club’s Director of Golf and COO. “She has a bright future at Miami, and we look forward to welcoming her and our entire tournament field to Pelican Golf Club in November.”
Wake Forest senior Anne-Sterre den Dunnen and Northwestern All-American Lauryn Nguyen also received sponsor invitations to this year’s tournament.
Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is scheduled to play in The Annika’s pro-am event for the second consecutive year on Nov. 12. Last year, she played alongside Korda and Annika Sorenstam.
‘I had an amazing time at The ANNIKA last November and participating in the Pro-Am alongside Nelly Korda and Annika Sorenstam, two of the best in the game,’ Clark said in a statement. ‘I’m honored to be an ambassador for a company in Gainbridge that is so committed to elevating women’s sports. I can’t wait to return to Tampa Bay in November to play in the Pro-Am with the best women golfers in the world.’
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.