Kai Trump’s poor performance at a prestigious junior golf tournament last week was likely due to two reasons—a series of agonizing misses and the throngs of obnoxious MAGA supporters following her around the course.
An account of the tournament published by The Daily Mail revealed that Donald Trump’s granddaughter was overwhelmed by a swarm of groupies—including many that wore bedazzled MAGA headbands, shirts, and hats adorned with the words “Trump,” “MAGA,” or the University of Miami logo, where Trump has committed to play golf.
Her final score was 52-over, or almost double that of her closest competitor Havanna Torstensson, putting her in last place by a large margin. She was also 58 shots away from winner Aphrodite Deng.
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Her trip to the ultra-exclusive tournament also attracted high-profile spectators, such as University of Miami golf coach Janice Olivencia, golf legend Tiger Woods—whose son was playing on the boys’ side of the draw—and the Secret Service, which travels with the 17-year-old.
“It’s tough because you’re in high school and you want to have your privacy,” the teen said about her security detail in a YouTube video last month. “But I feel no matter what I’ll probably never have the privacy as other kids my age so I kinda just have to deal with it.”
Under the intense scrutiny of onlookers and coaches alike, Trump failed miserably on the South Carolina course while her Secret Service entourage huddled around her. She was also constantly engulfed by a horde of fans—more than 30, according to the Mail—who traveled to Sage Valley, North Carolina just to see her in person. In some eyes, she wasn’t Kai Trump the golfer. She was Kai Trump, the president’s granddaughter.
Trump also hung around the 16-year-old son of Tiger Woods, Charlie, who has been spotted around Trump after news broke that the golf legend was dating Vanessa Trump, Kai’s mother and Donald Trump Jr.‘s ex-wife.
Although the it-couple never made an appearance, the crowds never left Trump’s side, even when she dropped to last place on the leaderboard on the tournament’s first day, a hole she was never able to climb out of.
Trump, however, reportedly met the scene with grace, posing with fans and signing autographs in between each hole.
A group of young boys as young as 11 were apparently particularly pushy, forcing her Secret Service detail to intervene several times. A group of high school-aged girls were also decked out in the stereotypical MAGA look, according to the Mail, complete with teased hair, crop tops, heavy makeup, and fake tans. Some even chased after Trump and disobeyed clear signs in order to get a better look at the young golfer.
“Stand back,” her Secret Service agents repeatedly told the crowd. They also asked, “Where are your parents?” and ordered “Don’t move,” whenever some stray devotee tried to approach.
Trump competed in another junior tournament earlier this year in Myrtle Beach, struggling there as well.
She’s currently ranked 151st in the state of Florida, but will soon have an opportunity to improve her game at 5-time national champion Miami.
