Kai Trump, the 19-year-old granddaughter of President Donald Trump, is on campus in Coral Gables as the newest member of the University of Miami women's golf team.

Freshman set for collegiate golf debut

The freshman from Jupiter, Florida, committed to the Hurricanes in August 2024. She is set to make her collegiate debut Monday as an individual competitor at the Golfweek Fall Challenge at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, according to Golfweek. The 54-hole event runs through Wednesday.

Vlogs capture emotional send-off from home

Trump documented her move-in week in a pair of YouTube vlogs that drew national attention. In a video posted Aug. 31, she broke down in tears while driving home from a round of golf on her last day in Jupiter.

"I've been, like, literally sobbing," she said in the video, as the Miami Herald reported. She described the goodbye as hard but said she was excited.

Illness interrupted her first week on campus

The transition hit a snag quickly. Trump said she came down with strep throat during her first week of classes and drove back to Jupiter so her mother could care for her. In a second vlog posted Sunday, she said she also dealt with a sinus infection and a bout of food poisoning, according to Page Six.

By that second video, though, Trump sounded upbeat. She gave viewers a tour of her apartment and talked about balancing athletics and academics. She said she has not had time to explore Miami because of her golf schedule.

She missed the team's season-opening event

Trump was not in the Hurricanes' lineup for their season-opening Boilermaker Classic, which the team won. Teammate Scarlett Schremmer took the individual title at that event. Trump and teammate Carlee Rogers will both compete as individuals at the Golfweek Fall Challenge.

Strong junior résumé, LPGA cameo precede college

Trump brings a competitive junior résumé to Coral Gables. She was runner-up at the 2025 Major Championship at Village Golf Course and placed second at the 2024 Martin County Junior Open. Her high school program at The Benjamin School won four consecutive district team titles. In November 2025, she made her LPGA Tour debut at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on a sponsor invitation, shooting 83-75 and missing the cut.

She underwent surgery on her left wrist in early 2026 to repair her extensor carpi ulnaris tendon and fibrocartilage complex.

On Sept. 2, Trump posed for her official Hurricanes media day photo and posted it to Instagram with the caption: "Year 1. #gocanes."