Kai Trump’s LPGA Tour debut didn’t go as she would have liked.
Kai Trump made her first start on the LPGA Tour at the Annika Tournament, as Donald Trump’s granddaughter received a sponsor exemption for the event.
But her readiness for the stage was immediately called into question when she posted a 13-over par 83, leaving her bottom of the leaderboard.
Trump is an exceptional player, playing off a +0.5 handicap, but the 18-year-old admitted to feeling more nervous than expected at the event. LPGA players came out in support of Trump after her second round, where she showed improvement with a score of 75.
Should Kai Trump have received a sponsor exemption for The Annika?
We’ve all had bad days on the course, and golfing debuts are always nervous affairs. Even some of the sport’s all-time greats have played far below their level on their first appearances at tournaments.
Here, we take a look at three of the worst debuts in golf’s history.
Sergio Garcia- 18-over par in first Open Championship
Even the all-time great players of the sport have seen the big occasion get the better of them in their first big events. In 1999, Spanish legend Sergio Garcia shot an 18-over par 89 in his first-ever round of The Open Championship.
The 19-year-old, who had won the Irish Open just two weeks prior in just his sixth event as a pro, started his Open Championship at Carnoustie with a triple bogey and posted five double bogeys on a Thursday to forget.
Garcia played badly throughout, as the wind and rough punished his wayward ball striking.
“Yes, I was suffering,” he said when speaking to the media, two hours after the round. “I couldn’t do anything, I felt I couldn’t swing the club. Today, everything came out the wrong way.
“I don’t think there is too much I can take from this except possibly patience. The Open is always difficult but this year is too tough.”
But this round was simply a blemish on a breakout year for Garcia. He was the low amateur at The Masters and almost beat Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship, losing by only one stroke.
This just goes to show that anyone can have a bad day on the course.
Maurice Flitcroft – Shoots 121 during 1976 Open Championship qualifying debut
In 1976, Maurice Flitcroft decided to try his hand at golf, posing as a professional player in an attempt to qualify for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
His only prior golfing experience was playing casually on fields near his home, but when asked for his handicap, he claimed to be a professional in order to participate in the qualifying event at Formby.
What followed was an opening round score of 121, the worst score ever recorded in Open Qualifying history. He was subsequently dubbed “the world’s worst golfer” and was banned for life by the R&A.
That didn’t stop him from trying again, as Flitcroft used numerous disguises and fake names to take part in future qualifying events. He was successful one time, but was caught after nine holes and thrown out.
“I was looking to find fame and fortune, but only achieved one of the two,” he once said.
Charlie Kunkle- Shoots 95 during 1956 Masters debut
Charlie Kunkle was a self-taught amateur who managed to qualify for the 1956 Masters tournament at Augusta National.
He was a World War II veteran, a basketball captain at Duke, and a friend of Arnold Palmer. And Kunkle holds the unwanted record of the worst single-round score in Masters history.
His round of 95 was the final 18 holes in a 52-over par weekend for Kunkle. This record was technically broken by former champion Billy Casper, who shot 106 at 73 years old, but Casper didn’t officially record his score.
That would likely be the case for any future players who break the record, such as Nick Dunlap, who shot 90 to threaten it in 2025.
But for Kunkle, simply qualifying was an incredible achievement. He told the Pittsburgh Press-Gazette in 2005: “The record, that’s not important to me. I earned my way there. You don’t get there by knowing the right people. I was proud to have played in the Masters.”
Kunkle will be remembered in Masters history for decades to come, despite his sad passing in 2013.
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