Kai Trump Is in Dead Last By 4 Shots in Her First Pro Golf Tournament

(AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Kai Trump was way behind the rest of the pack after the first round of her first-ever professional golf tournament Thursday in Florida — finishing in last place by 4 strokes after shooting a round of 13-over-par 83.

The 18-year-old — who is set to play college golf starting next fall at the University of Miami — made her LPGA Tour debut Thursday at The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, FL. Despite being ranked 461st among girls in the American Junior Golf Association, Kai received an invite traditionally reserved for higher-level amateurs.

While the granddaughter of President Donald Trump struggled throughout Thursday’s round, she did not completely go off the rails and fought to at least stay in contact with the rest of the field. Kai began the day with five consecutive bogeys, but didn’t make any double bogeys until the back nine and scratched out seven pars as part of her +13 round.

And she got a few bad breaks as well. On the par-3 12th hole (her third of the day, as she started her round on the 10th) Kai was long on her tee shot and ball landed in a tunnel under the grandstand. She was granted relief for the shot and nearly made an impressive up-and-down for par, but her par putt lipped out, forcing her to settle for a bogey.

Kai’s presence in the tournament came with some blowback when it was first announced, but it wasn’t entirely unprecedented. A Thursday report from The Wall Street Journal detailed how exactly she found herself at The Annika:

Special invitations can be handed to big-name players or rising stars who didn’t qualify, yet are still good enough that they have a shot to win. But they can also be extended to celebrities with just enough skill to hang. Former NFL quarterback Tony Romo has played four times on the PGA Tour without making a cut.

At this stage, Trump is closer to the second category. While she is an up-and-comer with a handicap that lists her as scratch golfer, placing her in the top 1% of women in the U.S., the American Junior Golf Association lists her 461st among girls. Two other popular rankings list her at No. 1,083 and No. 1,295.

At her most prestigious tournament to date, in South Carolina last March, she finished in last place, 22 strokes behind her nearest competitor.

Korean golfer Haeran Ryu led the after the first round with a score of -6.