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President Donald Trump’s granddaughter, Kai, is at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, to make her LPGA debut this week.
The 18-year-old received a sponsorship exemption for The ANNIKA, given to emerging golfers to showcase their talents.
Ahead of her big weekend, Trump said she got advice from none other than Grandpa himself, who kept it short and sweet.
“Go out there and have fun. Just don’t get nervous,” she said.
Tiger Woods, who is currently dating Trump’s mother, Vanessa — Don Jr.’s ex-wife —, also gave Trump advice.
“I mean, he is the best golfer in the entire world. I would say that. And even better person,” she said. “He told me to go out there and have fun and just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens.”
Trump played a practice round with Annika Sorenstam, the host of the tournament that bears her name, and the LPGA legend gave the youngster nothing but praise.
“I was talking to her about my tendencies and said, ‘What are your tendencies?’ And she went off, ‘this is what I do, and I’m trying to do that.’ She’s really interested in just getting better and learning about her swing…” she said, via the Golf Channel. “Just the excitement of learning and getting better, I thought that was pretty cool. I was trying to remember if I was 18, and I would play with somebody, if I would dare to ask a question. I probably would’ve been super quiet.”
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“Going out there and playing a big course and environment like this, I’m sure she’s used to a lot of people looking at her and analyzing everything,” Sorenstam added. “One thing that’s different this year is I’ve never seen so many Secret Service people around here; I feel super safe, that’s another thing. … I just don’t know how she does it honestly. To be 18 years old and hear all the comments, she must be super tough on the inside. I’m sure we can all relate what it’s like to get criticism here and there, but she gets it a thousand times. So, that’s why I just want to give her a break, come out here and have fun. We want her to feel like family here, and I want her to feel welcome.
“I mean, give this girl a chance, right?”
Nelly Korda is the reigning champ of The ANNIKA, also winning the event in 2021 and 2022.
Trump has gained a following on social media, mostly through YouTube, and recently posted a video of herself playing with her grandfather at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C., and the two of them attending the Ryder Cup.
“I just don’t view it as him being the president. I view it as, he’s my grandpa. We’re gonna go out there and play golf,” Kai said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “We play golf all the time. It’s nothing new.”
In that interview, Trump reiterated her goal of going pro.
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“I’ll try to do that and give it my best shot.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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