LPGA recognizes players that have a brand while to earn a permanent place on the TOUR
Beth Ann Nichols – Golfweek
- Kai Trump, granddaughter of Donald Trump, received a sponsor’s invitation to play in an LPGA event.
- The decision is controversial due to her amateur ranking and the political nature of her family name.
- Supporters of the invitation believe her celebrity status will bring significant media attention to the LPGA.
- The invitation was extended by the host club, not the LPGA, as one of three sponsor’s exemptions.
My first reaction to Kai Trump receiving a sponsor into this week’s LPGA event: terrible idea. Her game isn’t ready for this kind of spotlight; there’s too much on the line at the season’s penultimate event to have a circus break out.
But, after much reflection, I’ve changed my mind.
Between the presence of Caitlin Clark in the pro-am and President Donald Trump’s granddaughter in the 108-player field, this might become one of the most talked-about LPGA events in the tour’s 75-year history. For those who understand how painstakingly tough it is for women’s golf to break through the golf world, let alone the sports world and beyond, these opportunities don’t come often.
For example: American Nelly Korda, a statuesque player with an elite sports pedigree who boasts one of the best swings in the game, won seven times on the LPGA last season and nothing changed.
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The purpose of a sponsor invite is to make the sponsor happy. Whether that means inviting local talent, a burgeoning star or a former NFL quarterback (i.e., Tony Romo on the PGA Tour). Most sponsors use their invitations to gain more exposure, thereby growing the tour and their bottom line.
Kai Trump might be the first LPGA sponsor invite based purely on celebrity. While she’s a competitive player with professional aspirations, Trump wasn’t invited because of her tournament record or potential.
And before any arrows are directed at LPGA HQ, this wasn’t their idea.
The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican gets three invitations and each major stakeholder gets to pick one. Host Annika Sorenstam’s went to Wake Forest Senior Anne-Sterre den Dunnen based on the Demon Deacons’ win at the 2025 The Annika Intercollegiate. Gainbridge invited Northwestern All-American Lauryn Nguyen. And the club, owned by the Doyle family, invited the third amateur, Kai Trump, an 18-year-old high school senior who last week signed with the University of Miami.
The Tampa Bay area event, the penultimate tournament on the LPGA’s 2025 calendar, launched in 2020 as the Pelican Women’s Championship and, since the beginning, organizers have overdelivered. Dan Doyle Jr., CEO of DEX Imaging, met with the LPGA about hosting a tournament at Pelican before the club even opened its doors.
Doyle learned to play the game on the original Donald Ross design, which opened in 1925 and was previously known as Belleview Biltmore Golf Club. The Doyle family purchased the club in 2017 and hired the Beau Welling Design group to oversee renovations. The inaugural Pelican Women’s Championship was staged in November 2020, three months after the club hosted a roundtable and fundraiser for President Trump.
People won’t like the decision to invite Kai Trump based on several factors, politics being chief among them. Some won’t like it because her golf resume pales in comparison to most sponsor invites.
Her Rolex AJGA Ranking is 461st. She played in three AJGA events this season with an 83.6 average. At the premier Junior Invitational at Sage Valley last spring, she carded rounds of 89-79-83-89. Trump has yet to play in a USGA event and is not among the more than 3,000 listed in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
There’s no way around it: The LPGA stage is a gargantuan leap for Trump.
