WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark is making switching between professional sports look easy.
Barely a year after making waves in her golf debut, the basketball ace is prepping for another major event next month. Clark, 22, has always had a passion for golf and didn’t let her rising stardom in basketball prevent her from enjoying the greens.
Her performance at last year’s John Deere Classic pro-am was nothing short of impressive, drawing commendations from PGA Tour pros Ludvig Aberg and Zach Johnson, who played alongside her on the front and back nine respectively. Both stars were struck not only by Clark’s prowess on the course but also by her personality.
“It’s off the court that makes it easy to be a fan [of Clark],” two-time major champion Johnson, 48, told reporters. “I just think that’s the way you handle yourself, with integrity and class. But you work your butt off, and if success comes, you’re going to have fandom. It’s just the way it is.”
He added: “I can’t speak highly enough about how she handles herself, whether it’s in interviews or just the way she goes about her work. Obviously, she’s had a lot of awards and success, but she always goes back to her team.”
Echoing Johnson’s sentiments, Aberg was full of praise for Clark too: “She’s a rock star,” the 24-year-old Swede said. “I was just a passenger today. It was really cool.”
Clark first burst onto the scene in college basketball, breaking multiple records and leading her Iowa Hawkeyes team to the NCAA Championship game, a first in the school’s history. In April, she was drafted to the Indiana Fever and continued to break records and defy expectations.
The 6ft point guard led the Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016 and was named WNBA Rookie of the Year after setting new records for assists, three-pointers, and total points in a rookie campaign. Her talent has contributed to the growing popularity of women’s basketball in the US, a phenomenon known as the “Caitlin Clark effect”.
Johnson recalled experiencing this effect first-hand while warming up for the Masters last year. “I’m at Augusta National the Sunday before the Masters, and the Drive, Chip and Putt is commencing,” he said. “They asked some former champions to hand out awards to these youngsters, which is awesome. But the buzz around Augusta National was about the game coming up that afternoon.”
The 2007 Masters champion was referring to the NCAA Division 1 championship game in women’s basketball between Clark’s Hawkeyes and the LSU Tigers, which drew a record 9.9 million viewers. The Tigers may have clinched the victory, but it was Clark who truly stole the show.
Reflecting on her impact, Johnson said: “I don’t know if transcendent is the right word [to describe her impact],” also adding, “but what happened in the NCAA women’s tournament as an Iowan but also as a fan of sports was just spectacular.”
While Clark and the Indiana Fever didn’t make it to the WNBA finals this month after their first-round exit at the hands of the Connecticut Sun, every setback has its upside. For Clark, it means she gets to pivot her focus to her love for golf.
Earlier this month, the LPGA announced that Clark will take part in yet another pro-am event, at The Annika event hosted by the legendary golfer Annika Sorenstam on November 13. “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 said in a recent press statement.
Sorenstam herself admitted she was thrilled about Clark’s participation. “I have been following Caitlin’s career during college and now on the WNBA stage, and what she is doing to bring attention to women’s sports both on and off the court is outstanding,” lauded the 54-year-old Swede.
“I’m excited to meet Caitlin and for her to join us at Pelican Golf Club in November in what will be an exciting week for women’s sports.”
