Perhaps not. But she made her LPGA Tour debut on Thursday anyway, thanks to a sponsor exemption. She finished last in the 108-player field. The Daily Beast recapped her performance:
Playing at the Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Tampa, Florida, the 18-year-old high school senior unraveled early, bogeying her first four holes and never recovering. She walked off with nine bogeys, two double bogeys, and not a single birdie, completing the par-70 course in 83 to end the first round 19 shots off the pace.
Afterward, Trump put a positive spin on her performance, saying, “Felt like my game is in a good spot, and especially only being a senior in high school.”
“I was definitely more nervous than I expected, but I thought I hit a lot of great shots out there,” she added. “I hit a lot of good shots just to the wrong spots.”
Kai received a sponsor exemption in late October to play in the Annika at Pelican Golf Club, November 13–16. This is the penultimate event on the LPGA schedule and it “typically has one of the strongest fields of the year outside the majors,” according to the AP. She is currently 461 in the AJGA girls ranking.
Ricki Lasky, LPGA’s chief tour business and operations officer, noted in a press release that sponsor invitations are “an important way to spotlight emerging talent” and bring attention to the tournaments. As for Kai’s qualifications, she noted that her “broad following and reach are helping introduce golf to new audiences, especially among younger fans.”
As Golf.com’s Claire Rogers explained, Kai is far from the first person to receive a controversial sponsor exemption:
In a piece for Golf Monthly, Alison Root described Kai receiving a sponsor’s exemption as an “understandable, if regrettable, business decision”:
For every available exemption, the up-and-coming college stars, struggling tour players, and international talents are grinding away and would give anything just for a chance to compete.
When a spot goes to a player whose main credential seems to be her last name and her social media reach, it must feel like a slap in the face to those who are further down the road in their journey of dedicating their lives to golf. I can only imagine how frustrating this must feel for them, but I guess that’s just the way the world works.
I understand that a tournament is a business, and clearly Trump’s invitation perfectly meets the commercial criteria of the tournament sponsor, for which these invitations are a core benefit of sponsorship. Who will help us sell the most tickets, attract the most corporate hospitality, and generate the most buzz?
It just confirms that connections and marketability matter more than four years of top-tier college play or consistent results on developmental tours.
Root added that she had “no personal criticism against Trump,” and doesn’t “envy the intense spotlight and scrutiny she will be under.”
