Nelly Korda is eager to break her winless streak in 2025! And the Pelican Golf Club will be the perfect venue for her to achieve that feat, as she has won The Annika three times in the last four years here. That won’t bode well for debutants like Lauryn Nguyen & Kai Trump, who have received exemptions for the penultimate event of the LPGA Tour season. Expecting to face a determined amateur, Korda had a positive message for President Donald Trump’s granddaughter hours before the tournament.

In the press conference for The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican 2025, she was asked about Kai Trump’s exemption. Korda told the reporters, “Yeah, I mean, I think it’s a great learning opportunity for her if she is serious about the game of golf. There is no better way to test your game than to play alongside the best players in the world. It will be a nice and fun experience for her, I’m sure.”

Playing her first-ever professional event, Kai will be in the prime position to earn valuable experience from the LPGA Tour pros. Still only 18, she has a long way to go before getting her own membership. Until then, it will be good for her to see how the top stars perform in top events. Trump will also get to watch one of the best showcases of how to get out of a slump if Korda ends up winning the tournament.

But as Korda said, she needs to be serious about golf to actually gain from all that experience. And many believe that is not the case. In fact, after reports of her exemption were made public, many in the golf community had criticized her for not being deserving of a spot in the big LPGA Tour event. Trump faced so much heat that Annika Sorenstam had to step up in her defence and justify her selection for the event.

With that being said, let’s take a look at Kai Trump’s recent form. How has she been performing in the amateur circuit?  This will help us anticipate what we can expect to see from her during the event.

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How will Kai Trump fare against Nelly Korda & Co. in The Annika?

As Tiger Woods & Vanessa Trump are dating, Kai Trump is often compared to the former’s son, Charlie Woods. However, their journey in their amateur careers has been vastly different. While Charlie has been consistently growing with every tournament he played, Kai hasn’t participated in as many events. Whether that makes her an inexperienced player or a potential surprise element for the LPGA Tour? Well, we will only know that during the event.

But in the three tournaments Trump has played, she has been quite consistent. She has finished around the 26th spot in all three of them. Her last appearance was in the Arnold Palmer Invitational Junior, where she finished 26th with a 35-over 251 in July 2025. That was one of the last spots in that tournament. However, if Kai Trump manages to pull off a shocker and finishes at 26th at The Annika, then she will certainly earn more praise than heat for her exemptions.