BELLEAIR, Florida – After Scarlett Schremmer posted an opening 69 in her LPGA debut, Miami teammate Kai Trump carried her golf bag off the practice facility at Pelican Golf Club. It's a common practice among college teammates, picking up each other's bags after the round.
As the granddaughter of President Donald Trump, 19-year-old Kai carries one of the most recognizable surnames in the world and is followed by Secret Service agents wherever she goes but at the end of the day, she loves being part of a team. It's her favorite thing about college, hanging out with her teammates — like Schremmer — and meeting new people.
Last year at this time, it was Trump making her LPGA debut in The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. Surgery on her left
wrist about a month ago, however, meant that she had to turn down the invitation this time around. It was actually Trump who called Schremmer to deliver the news that she'd been offered the spot.
"This tournament was probably one of the best golf experiences I'll ever have, and I'm so thankful for it," said Trump. "And now, looking back at it, I mean, it was probably one of the best things that could have happened for me in my golf career, because, first of all, I was playing with these LPGA players, and I saw how they played and learned a lot from it. But I feel like it also showed me what I need to work on, just see the level that I'm at and the level I want to get to. And I'm not so far off."
Earlier this fall, Trump made her collegiate debut playing as an individual at the Golfweek Fall Classic where she re-injured her wrist on a shot near the cart path. She teed it up again in the Golfweek Put Me In Coach Invitational in early October, and then went in for a second surgery.
Trump, who had her wrist wrapped up on Thursday, said she doesn't have a timeline for when she'll return to practice, but she is out for the season.
"I had two surgeries in, like, nine months," she said. "I want to take my time."
Kai Trump was invited back to compete in the penultimate event on the LPGA schedule, @theANNIKAlpga, but had to turn it down after having another wrist surgery. The invite instead went to Scarlett Schremmer, a promising Miami teammate whose mom played on the LPGA.
— Beth Ann Nichols (@GolfweekNichols) November 12, 2026
Trump was out… pic.twitter.com/TrOppl7MHt
Trump walked much of the first round outside the ropes with Hurricane head coach Janice Olivencia, who took the reins at Miami in 2022.
"She's a very big, important member of this team and an influential one, because they all respect her, they all think highly of her," said Olivencia of her famed freshman. "She is very committed to what she wants to do, and she's very committed to the team. You know, at practices, when she's able to, she was full on, just as much as if she was the No. 1 player on the team."
Secret Service agents followed Trump as she watched golf on Thursday. They travel with her to every tournament, of course, and have been part of her life since elementary school. Fellow students like to stop and talk to the president's granddaughter on campus, and she doesn't mind.
"Just, like, everywhere I go, that happens," she said, "but I live a normal life, just like everyone else."
Trump chose Miami because she liked the coaches and players and wanted to live in a city that's not too far from her south Florida home. She had a couple cousins who went there, too, and thought it would be the best environment to grow her game.
Playing alongside good friend Schremmer in practice each week is a good measuring stick. A two-time winner this fall season, Schremmer is a member of the USGA's 2026 Elite Amateur Program. Her mother, Patricia Ehrhart, is a former tour player and is on the bag this week. Olivencia said her star sophomore has an unusually high golf IQ.
"Honestly, if she misses, she can get up and down from anywhere, and she doesn't miss often," gushed Trump of her good friend. "She's just a winner."
Just as Schremmer's success can be traced back to her mother, it was Trump's mother, Vanessa, who introduced her to the game at age 2.
"If it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't be about playing golf right now," she said, though she does play a lot of golf with granddad and can call upon mom's partner, Tiger Woods, for help too.
"He's the best," she said when asked how much Woods helps. "I love him so much, and he's a great guy, and he helps me whenever I want."
Olivencia says the competitive Trump's unwavering self-belief is one of her greatest assets, and once she gets healthy, it won't take her long to get in the mix.
"I wish I was playing," said Trump. "I wish I was traveling on my team, playing college golf right now. But everything happens for a reason, and right now, it's just not my time. I'm gonna get healthy so that I can definitely play for the rest of my life and not have these injuries that I've had. Just got to get it right this time around, and go out there next year and kill it."
Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA and all things women's golf. Follow her on X/Twitter (@GolfweekNichols).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Kai Trump opens up on wrist surgery, Tiger Woods and life as a Miami golfer
