[Photo: Julio Aguilar]
Australia’s Grace Kim shared the lead at the half way mark at the LPGA Tour’s The Annika but it was a teenage star who grabbed the headlines for the first two days.
Kai Trump’s second-ever round in an LPGA Tour event went far better than the first and included a near-ace that would have been the first hole-in-one of her life.
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Ultimately, however, the young woman who was playing on a sponsor’s exemption in the tour’s penultimate tournament of the year learned that she has a long way to go with her game if she’d like to be a professional one day.
Trump, the 18-year-old granddaughter of US President Donald Trump, followed her first-round 13-over-par 83 in The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, with a Friday effort of 75 that included four birdies. Those red numbers were sprinkled in among one triple bogey and one double bogey.
Trump’s two-round total of 18-over 158 put her last in the field of 108 players—27 shots behind co-leaders Kim (65-66) and Sweden’s Linn Grant (68-63) and 17 away from the projected cut line at one-over-par.
The strong improvement in Trump’s second round felt predictable, given the nerves the Florida high-schooler and University of Miami golf commit faced on the first day. Her invitation into The Annika was controversial, given her lack of notable success in the junior ranks, but she was included because the LPGA and the event wanted to take advantage of her family name and her popularity on social media, where Trump has 8 million followers across social media platforms.
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“Yeah, for the first day I was definitely really nervous. I think the nerves just got to me. When I went out there today, I felt very calm and peaceful to be honest with you,” Trump said.
The highlight of Trump’s round was her shot into the par-3 12th in which she came close to making her first-ever ace. “I hit like a tight little draw into it,” Trump explained. “Tried not to get too high because of the wind. Yeah, it was a great shot.”
For the second straight day at the par-4 18th, Trump hit an excellent approach shot into the green, leaving herself about eight feet for birdie. But she missed the putt.
Asked what she would tell her grandfather about the round when they spoke, Trump said, “That I hit a great shot on 18 two days in a row.”
Of how she handled the nerves for the week, Trump said, “I did everything I could possibly have done for this tournament, so I think if you prepare right the nerves can … they’re always going to be there, right? They can be a little softened. So I would just say that.”
The Annika is shaping up for what could be a thrilling finish. The co-leader, Sydneysider Kim, won her first career major this season in the Evian Championship, and among those closely trailing her is World No. 2 Nelly Korda, who charged with a 63 on day two, three shots back. Korda is trying to win her first title of the year after capturing seven wins last season.
