Kai Trump, granddaughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, is officially sidelined for a “few months” from her freshman season on the Miami women’s golf team after undergoing wrist surgery. She dropped the news on Instagram this Wednesday, detailing a recent procedure to fix an injury she picked up during her very first collegiate tournament back in September. Talk about a tough break to kick off your college career.
A Long Road To Pain-Free Golf
This isn’t just some minor tweak either. Trump, who will be out for what she called “a few months,” posted that while she really wanted to avoid going under the knife, after chatting with her family, coaches, and the athletic training staff, she knew it was “the best decision for my long-term health and my future in the game I love.” That’s a huge call for any athlete, especially a freshman.
She’s no stranger to wrist issues, unfortunately. Back in January, she had a left wrist surgery to deal with injuries to the stabilizing tissues of her ECU tendon and damage to her triangular fibrocartilage complex. The hope then was to get her back to “play golf pain free.”
Her college debut for the Hurricanes came nine months later at the 2026 Golfweek Fall Classic in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. She finished tied for 102nd out of 120 competitors, and it sounds like that’s where things went south again. Trump mentioned on social media, per Golfweek’s Kinsley Crowley, that she “kind of had a re-injury” during that tournament. She even detailed the moment: “I hit the ground next to the cart path. Let’s just say there must have been some cart path underneath that ground because it was very hard.” Ouch. She “felt like she tore it again” on the 10th hole but scans initially showed just “a little sliver on my TFCC” that she hoped to fix without surgery. Clearly, that didn’t pan out.
Embracing The Unexpected Turn
Despite the pain, Trump even competed in her second collegiate tournament earlier this month, where she finished 13th out of 14 at the Golfweek Put Me In Coach Invitational in Muncie, Indiana. That shows some serious grit, playing through what must have been incredibly uncomfortable.
The 19-year-old committed to Miami back in August 2024 and even made her LPGA debut in 2025. With a projected $1.2 million NIL valuation, according to On3, her future in golf is definitely bright, even with this current setback.
Trump herself summed it up perfectly in her post, saying, “It’s certainly not how I envisioned the next few months, but sometimes the journey takes an unexpected turn, and I’m choosing to embrace this one with patience, and a whole lot of determination.” That’s the mindset you want to see from an athlete facing recovery. Here’s hoping she has a smooth rehab and gets back on the course, pain-free, stronger than ever.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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