what can't she do?
Caitlin Clark to tee off in Annika LPGA pro-am, backs up ‘professional golfer’ claim
Michael Reaves
Caitlin Clark is (of course) known for her basketball prowess, but she also played softball, volleyball, soccer, tennis and, happily for us, golf while growing up in Iowa. As we all know, she eventually narrowed in on the hardwood, yet that doesn’t mean she isn’t excited to book a tee times during the WNBA offseason.
The uber-competitive 22-year-old has been talking up golf in a big way of late, getting a new set of sticks over the summer, mentioning to Golf Digest that she often shoots in the low 80s and even joking(?) that she plans to become a “professional golfer” one day. Well, now’s her chance to put her money where her mouth is, as the superstar is set to take on Florida’s Pelican Golf Club in November as part of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge.
Clark will be a panelist for during the LPGA event’s Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, Nov 12, then show off her game the following day as part of the Belleair pro-am. The former No. 1 overall pick seems to be flush with clubs and recently said that she’s been testing out “something smoke?” (presumably one of Callaway's Paradym Ai Smoke woods or irons).
“I love golf, so the opportunity to play in the Pro-Am for a tournament with a legend like Annika Sorenstam’s name on it is so exciting,” Clark told the LPGA. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the LPGA players on the driving range, being part of the Women’s Leadership Summit, and, of course, teeing it up in the pro-am with Annika."
This will be Clark's second pro-am start after playing alongside fellow Iowan and U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson at the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic Pro-Am in 2023. She didn't have a final score but started the day with a solo par and admitted that she ran out of gas on the back nine. Something to improve on this time...
The upcoming Annika pro-am will lead right into LPGA event, which has one of the largest purses on tour at $3.25 million. It’s just a pro-am for Clark, so there’s no money at stake (at least officially), but she has been known to “get pretty competitive.” Just like fellow basketball star Steph Curry, Clark has used the golf course as a way to get those competitive juices flowing and stay active without overworking herself on the court.
“Our coaches were like, ‘You need to get away from the gym,’ even though that’s really hard for me to do sometimes,” Clark told Golf Digest. “I still want to be active and do something, so I’m going to go to the golf course.”
