Caitlin Clark ready to take ‘love’ for golf to Annika pro-am
WNBA star Caitlin Clark once quipped that she would spend the offseason working to become a professional golfer.
Basketball fans can relax, because the Indiana Fever star and WNBA Rookie of the Year said Tuesday she was only joking.
Clark is set to play with world No. 1 Nelly Korda on the front nine and 10-time major champion Annika Sörenstam on the back in Wednesday’s pro-am at The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.
“You know, having my first WNBA season behind me and being here is super cool,” Clark said Tuesday. “I’ve tried to take as much time as I can to practice, but there is only so much hope. You just cross your fingers, pray.
“No, I’ve practiced a little bit and I just had the quote about becoming a professional golfer. Everybody thought I was serious. I was not serious. I love it. I love being outside and making it competitive with my friends.”
Clark described herself as an “average golfer” with about a 16 handicap. She has carded scores in the mid-80s but admitted, “Usually, I’m just praying to break 100.”
“I’m strong, and I can hit it. It just usually doesn’t go straight,” Clark said at the LPGA Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday. “I mean sometimes it goes straight, but it depends. You just step up there and hope for the best. … I just don’t want to hit anyone with a golf ball. That’s my No. 1 priority.”
Clark said that growing up, she played golf with her father. She named PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy as her favorite golfer.
It’s the second time Clark will compete in a pro-am at a professional event. She played in one at the PGA Tour’s 2023 John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois. The then-Iowa Hawkeyes basketball star was paired with Ludvig Åberg on the front nine and fellow Iowan Zach Johnson on the back.
“I was pretty nervous,” Clark said. “I’ll probably be nervous tomorrow, too. I don’t know. I mean, I remind myself, like, I don’t really care what happens. Doesn’t really matter. I don’t play golf for a living.
Sörenstam, who has 96 titles worldwide, offered Clark some advice.
“You’re an athlete and used to crowds, and I’m sure you play better under pressure,” Sörenstam said. “I’m a senior golfer now, so I have been working a little bit on my game because I needed to. It’s all about having fun.”
Bradenton native Nelly Korda plays nine-hole round with WNBA star Caitlin Clark
Nelly Korda and Caitlin Clark met for a star-studded, nine-hole round of golf at Wednesday’s pro-am at the Pelican Golf Club.
Credit: AP
Nelly Korda and WNBA star Caitlin Clark chat during a pro-am at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
BELLEAIR, Fla. — Bradenton native Nelly Korda is the world’s number-one women’s golfer. This season, she’s won a career-high six tournaments and aims to win her third Annika Tournament title in four years.
However, her presence at Wednesday’s pro-am at the Pelican Golf Club was not the top reason for the abnormally large crowd rushing to Belleair before sunrise.
Most fanatic bystanders were sporting Indiana Fever gear as WNBA star Caitlin Clark played alongside Korda in the front nine of the 18-hole competition.
Clark is known for her shooting skills on the basketball court, but admits that her golf swing could use some work. A couple of her drives went wayward, while Korda’s looked tethered to a rope. The contrast in their golfing abilities was drastic, but they had the same amount of fun.
“It was so amazing. She’s so sweet, so nice. It was nice to kind of get to spend some time with her,” Korda said. “We just felt like two friends hanging out.”
“Obviously, getting to see them do what they do up front is like, people would pay for that. I got to do it for free and have fun,” Clark said.
The 22-year-old WNBA star has been a golf fan since her childhood and admired Korda’s game from afar. Similarly, Korda admires Clark’s approach to being a top player in her sport.
“It was great to see how relaxed she was. Obviously, with the media attention she has gotten probably in the past year and a half, two years, you can see how she’s comfortable playing in front of a larger crowd and she was just really enjoying it.” Korda said.
Clark played the back nine with tournament namesake and golf hall-of-famer Annika Sorenstam. She foresees Clark’s presence having positive effects on women’s golf.
“The effect that she has, I’m thinking young girls might say, ‘well, maybe I don’t play basketball I’ll play golf.’ They look up to her,” Sorenstam said.
The Annika tournament begins Thursday and runs through Sunday.
