The team behind The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican got their first taste of viral attention last year when Caitlin Clark made a pro-am appearance. Rather than treating it as a one-time spark, the organizers leaned into the momentum again this year.

Clark returned on Wednesday—now arguably the most recognizable women’s basketball player in the world—playing a humble, light-hearted round of golf. This time she was joined by Indiana Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull. Their participation makes sense: the Fever play in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and the sponsorship ties connecting the team to the event brought them, along with former USWNT goalkeeper Briana Scurry and NASCAR driver Carson Hocevar, to the Tampa Bay area.

Pro-ams are the ideal setting for these kinds of celebrity moments. They are intentionally relaxed affairs where wealthy individuals and corporate guests get the chance to play alongside professional golfers ahead of the main tournament. If someone wanted to invite the entire WNBA and negotiate a collective bargaining agreement over lunch at the halfway house, few would object. It is part of the spectacle.

But what happened the following day raised more serious questions—particularly about whether the three forces behind this LPGA tournament have lost sight of the event’s purpose.

On Thursday, Kai Trump teed off in The Annika—one of 108 players in the LPGA’s final full-field event of the season. Trump, ranked No. 461 among junior golfers in the United States, received a highly coveted sponsor exemption. Her selection was widely viewed as the result of her last name and massive online following rather than any realistic expectation that she could contend against the world’s best women’s golfers.

Tournament organizer Dan Doyle Jr. explained the reasoning earlier in the week, noting that exemptions historically exist to bring attention to events. Annika Sorenstam agreed that every tournament wants buzz. But the question is whether a premier LPGA event—named after one of the greatest women’s golfers of all time—should need stunts to generate interest. If this is the only reliable way the LPGA can attract mainstream attention, then women’s golf in the United States faces a deeper challenge: why is it not sharing in the broader surge in popularity across women’s sports?

Kai Trump herself is not to blame. She is 17, and her dream is to play professionally. When Annika Sorenstam invited her, turning it down was not a realistic option. Yet being able to accept an opportunity does not automatically make its use appropriate. Trump has played only a handful of elite-level junior tournaments, finishing near the bottom each time. There is little evidence that she is competitively ready to face a field that includes Nelly Korda and four major champions from this season alone.

Her performance confirmed that. Trump opened with a 13-over-par 83—four strokes worse than the next player—and finished the round 19 shots behind leader Haeran Ryu. Her second round on Friday will almost certainly be her last in her LPGA debut.

Earlier this year at Bay Hill, she finished 35-over-par across three rounds. While the Pelican Golf Club is less punishing off the tee than Arnold Palmer’s Orlando layout, its intricate green contours still demand precision. Korda won the event at 14-under in 2024. Despite Trump’s commitment to play for the University of Miami next year and her supporters’ praise of her ball flight, her résumé is led primarily by her social media reach and family identity.

Sorenstam urged observers to give the teenager a chance, a move seemingly intended to soften public criticism. But the comment glossed over the many advantages Trump has enjoyed—advantages directly linked to why she was invited in the first place. She is the granddaughter of the president of the United States. Her father, Donald Jr., co-manages a company that operates numerous golf courses nationally. Her mother is dating Tiger Woods. Trump has access, resources, and visibility that dwarf those available to most junior golfers.

Sorenstam also has her own political connection to the Trump family. She accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the president on January 7, 2021, and has visited Mar-a-Lago with her husband. Meanwhile, Belleair—the upscale community home to the exclusive Pelican Golf Club—overwhelmingly supported Trump in the last election. Kai is publicly known to be close to her grandfather, and their shared enthusiasm for golf is central to her brand.

The dynamics surrounding this week’s event are clear, and any calls for avoiding political interpretation feel insincere. Everyone involved appears comfortable capitalizing on the family’s visibility and the favorable media attention accompanying it.

What remains puzzling is why the LPGA continues to cooperate. Golf has long prided itself on meritocracy, yet here it is allowing celebrity and political proximity to overshadow competitive standards.

The Annika should stand among the LPGA’s most significant tournaments. It carries the name of a legend, boasts a premier venue, and offers a $3.25 million purse—the fourth largest among non-majors. Positioned just before the CME Group Tour Championship, the event consistently draws a strong field. And at this time of year, its only real competition for viewer interest is a quiet PGA Tour fall event in Bermuda.

Meanwhile, other women’s sports are experiencing explosive growth. The WNBA is surging. Women’s soccer continues to expand. The PWHL is rapidly scaling. With its 75-year legacy, the LPGA should be a leader. Instead, poor broadcast deals and limited marketing have left it trailing domestically. Against that backdrop, leaning on a celebrity teenager’s YouTube content may have appeared tempting.

But the cost is credibility. The LPGA’s willingness to use a young player for a burst of attention—without any expectation of long-term benefit—reflects a troubling strategy. It sends a message about what the organization values and what it is willing to compromise.

And it does not reflect well on the sport.