The penultimate LPGA Tour event of the season, The Annika, is one of its biggest, for several reasons.
It inevitably gets plenty of coverage thanks to its high-profile host, 10-time Major winner Annika Sorenstam. Meanwhile, it has one of the largest purses of the LPGA Tour season, at $3.25m.
That’s not all, though. Because of its place in the schedule, the tournament also offers the last opportunity for some players to force their way into the top 60 and ties of the Race to CME Globe and the field for the season finale, the CME Group Tour Championship.
For the last two years, the pro-am has also garnered huge attention thanks to the presence of WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark, while in 2025, as well as the established golfers in the field, it also includes a rising star with a very famous family member.
Kai Trump, granddaughter of US President Donald Trump, makes her LPGA Tour debut at the event thanks to a sponsor’s invite.
The 18-year-old, who is a University of Miami commit, is a promising player currently ranked 461st in the AJGA standings.
However, she also has more than six million social media followers and founded her own apparel and lifestyle brand, which aims to empower young women in sports.
In other words, her appearance at the Pelican Golf Club event can only help generate more interest in the tournament and the women's game in general.
Of course, coming up against the likes of World No.1 Jeeno Thitikul and defending champion Nelly Korda at the tournament, there are few expectations on Trump in terms of where she places.
However, she is certainly not there to make up the numbers. So, who is the caddie she will be using at the tournament to help her perform to the best of her ability?
Trump has turned to Allan Kournikova. If that name sounds familiar, it could be because he’s the half-brother of former tennis star Anna Kournikova.
He has a golf background, too. For example, as a seven-year-old, he starred alongside Alexa Pano in 2013 Netflix documentary The Short Game. He also won the AJGA Pinehurst Junior in 2019.
So, how did the link-up with Trump come about? At her press conference before her LPGA Tour debut, Kai explained that the pair go back a long way.
She said: “Yeah, I mean, I grew up with Allan. Been playing golf with him since I was very, very little. Family friend. There is no one else I would want on the bag besides him.
“He obviously knows golf. He's a great golfer. I thought he would be a great choice because at the same time I also know knew game as well, so if I can have a friend on the bag and a great golfer just going to make my time out there so much better. So I would say that, yeah.”
Regardless of how Trump plays this week, with Allan’s help, she stressed she mainly sees the opportunity as a chance to enjoy it and learn.
She added: “:Obviously I think I'm going to learn a lot no matter what happens. I'm just going to go out there and have fun and see which way it goes.
“I'm going to take a lot away from it. Obviously competing with the best players is going to be cool. To be inside the ropes with them playing with them, learning what kind of shots they hit, what do they do on the course. So, yeah, just looking forward to it and playing with the best.”
