In the first five days, the LPGA church in Annika found a temporary goal.
Buzz. What appears. Chatter.
The week started with a press conference full of Kai, the grandson of President Donald Trump, who was in the field at the invitation of the sponsor, who owns the Pelican Golf Club. There are two ways to look at the trump invitation. He is the 461st ranked junior golfer in the world and has never played in a USGA event. Given the stakes of the penultimate event in the program, Trump does not deserve a place in the arena. He has LPGA aspirations and will play par at the University of Miami, but it was clear this week was going to be a big competitive step for him – one that almost certainly ended in high scores and missed cuts. But the point of Trump’s invitation was for more than 8 million unique followers. And if his brief stint at the Pelican brought attention to helping the LPGA reach a different audience, isn’t that worth a swipe?
2 ways to think about Kai Trump’s LPGA invitation
By:
Josh Schrock
When Trump’s release was announced, Annika became the kind of event to drive the conversation The LPGA needs to find a way to constantly renew without celebrities in the field. That was the idea.
Wnba Star Caitlin Claitkin Clatk’s return to Pro-AM is sending even more eyebrows, in person and on social media.
Per data obtained by Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols, Clark’s Pro-AM appearance generated 2,693 posts on X, resulting in 24,325,849 engagements and 18,325,849 views. The tournament’s Instagram account saw a 591 percent increase in views over the year. At the site, there were crowds where several lines deep tried to get a glimpse of the WNBA superstar alongside Nelly Korda. The crowds weren’t as big as at Clark’s 2024 Pro-AM-AM, but the gravitational pull of his power was evident when he smiled and laughed on his nine-hole course while working on his improving game.
“I think it just goes to show how strong the strong women who support us really are,” Clark said during a walk-and-talk with Golf Channel during the Pro-AM. “I’ve always been an advocate for that, for supporting women’s sports. And I’ve always been a big fan of whether it’s golf or soccer, volleyball or whatever.”
“It’s amazing that she’s in women’s golf and wants to come out here and put a picture on us, and in the event and on this tour,” Skmelzel told the golf station on Wednesday. “I think it’s a big day for women’s sports in general.”
That was compounded by Trump’s opening moment, where he clearly struggled on his way to 13 with a Par-Par 83 that wasn’t TOLEVID. Trump shot a second round of 75 on Friday, half of which was stuck, and finished dead last by six shots. At the same time on Friday, Korda was electrifying the leaderboard with Lebron James Tweeting. Every online conversation and impression is a win. The LPGA should take turns trying to increase its popularity.
Kai Trump’s opening 83 in LPGA Debut serves as a powerful reminder
By:
Michael Bamberger
But as the weekend at AnaniKa began with a packed leaderboard and Clark and Trump in the background, the big questions surrounded: What is the LPGA’s plan to keep the new eyebrows they got from Clark and Trump? Impressions and views on social media are good. But New Commissioner Craig Kessler and Lapga should have a plan to spend money on them by getting them to look at Korda and a few days at Annika or where they do celebrity development. Clark and Trump gave the LPGA a lot of space, but also a long-term antidote, the growth of ekrolouni in the test. What kastler and the LPGA need to do is to develop a long-term strategy to increase the popularity and visibility of the game, from improved television windows to get big stars to play a major role in developing and pushing the journey forward.
From a narrow perspective, the invitation was worth taking a chance on. But will the eyeballs he brought stick to the two days he shot 158? No, and especially not without a concrete plan to convince the non-LPGA audience to stick around. That kind of strategy takes time, trial and error to perfect.
That’s a long game for Kessler and the LPGA. It is because they entered into a partnership agreement with Golf Saudi and why they are reportedly moving the Clevron Championship site to a more accessible course.
Annika’s week, which continues with the combined leaderboard, did not end when Trump came out on Friday after the LPGA real test. But the buzz, the eyeballs and the conversation devoted to Clark and Trump were quickly dismissed, leaving only the big questions LPGA to solve – Clark and Trump can not answer.
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