By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-20 15:11:25 | Updated at 2025-03-21 05:10:20
14 hours ago
Kai Trump endured a disastrous first round of the illustrious Junior Invitational golf tournament, shooting 17-over-par to find herself rock bottom of the leaderboard and way behind all of her rivals.
The golf prodigy, and granddaughter of president Donald Trump, is among the star names on the course at Sage Valley in South Carolina, but her first taste of the tournament didn't go exactly to plan.
Flanked by secret service guards and watched by hordes of MAGA fans decked out in red, Trump started well and found herself level par through the first five holes, before disaster struck shortly after.
From there, Kai inadvertently dropped a remarkable 17 shots across just 13 holes, tumbling down the leaderboard right to the bottom.
What's more, Tiger Woods' son Charlie is also in trouble in the men's section of the tournament, sitting 32nd of 36 players after his six-over-par first round.
The nightmare day for the tournament's two most high-profile names comes just days after DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Kai's mom Vanessa has been secretly dating Charlie Woods' dad Tiger.
Kai Trump chips onto the 18th green at the end of her difficult first round in South Carolina
Hordes of MAGA fans - and Secret Service agents - followed her around the course on day one
Tiger, 49, and Vanessa, 47, have been together since Thanksgiving and are quickly becoming golf's new power couple.
On Wednesday, neither of their parents were anywhere to be seen, with Tiger and Vanessa staying away, along with Don Jr and Elin Nordegren.
Instead, Kai was accompanied only by her caddie, armed guards and MAGA fans as she made her way around the course.
Alongside each hole, fans could be seen wearing red shirts and headbands adorned with 'TRUMP' in capital letters, as they fervently cheered on the president's granddaughter.
Kai herself cut a dejected figure for most of the round, grimacing her way around the course as she tumbled down the leaderboard.
With three days still left to play of the tournament in Graniteville, Trump sits a worrying six shots back from her nearest rival, in 24th of 24 female players.
Trump sits on +17 after the first round, six shots back from her nearest rival at the bottom
Golf star Tiger Woods, 49, has been dating Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-wife Vanessa Trump, 47
The leaders, meanwhile, are an eyewatering 19 shots above her, with Thailand's Pimpisa Rubrong and Canada's Aphrodite Deng on -2.
Trump will go again on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to try and propel herself further up the leaderboard, but it was an awful start to high-profile golf for the 17-year-old.
Last year, she committed to the University of Miami, where she will continue her golf education, with the eventual goal of turning pro.
Woods, meanwhile, carded a six-over-par 78 for his first round, a worrying 11 shots back from the leader, New Zealand's Joshua Bai.
