Kai Trump is making her collegiate debut this weekend, and the work ethic behind the name is doing the talking. The 19-year-old tees off for Miami at the Golfweek Fall Challenge in South Carolina.
She will play as an individual after recovering from wrist surgery, a major procedure that required months of rehab.
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The eldest granddaughter of the president has arrived at college with one goal in mind.
Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Kai Trump speaks out on her Miami mindset
The freshman has been open about why she is at the University of Miami, and it is not for the nightlife.
“I wake up every day at like 5:00am and then I don’t normally go to sleep until like 10:30,” she said.
“I feel like I haven’t really explored Miami yet because I’m so busy with the golf and stuff like that. I’m here for golf. I’m not here to party in Miami so I guess it’s okay.”
“College life is fun. When you’re a student athlete, that makes it hard to be honest with you.”
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It is the message of someone serious about competing at the highest amateur level, and the golf backs it up.
She underwent surgery earlier this year to address injuries to the stabilizing tissues of her ECU tendon and damage to her triangular fibrocartilage complex. On Friday, she poured in four birdies and nearly aced the par-3 12th.
The 54-hole event at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club starts Sunday and runs through Tuesday.
She waited for this moment. Trump was not in the line-up when the Hurricanes won their first team event at the Boilermaker Classic, so this is her chance to shine on her own.
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The pressure is real, and the field is strong, with competition from teams with plenty of wins at this event.
She has built a brand around golf, with multiple NIL partnerships and her own clothing line. But the course does not care about followers, and the ball still has to find the fairway.
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The start of college life was not all smooth. She broke down in tears in her car in a YouTube confessional, admitting goodbye to her family in Jupiter was tough. A bout of strep throat sent her back home for a few days too.
Now she is almost fully recovered, settled in, and ready to work.
Her grandfather has cheered her golf career loudly from the start. This weekend, Kai Trump gets to prove the name was never the point.
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