Caitlin Clark flying blind at The Annika pro-am, with a 16 handicap and a prayer to not hit anyone
Caitlin Clark has joked about becoming a professional golfer, saying in September that’s how she’d spend her offseason until it got cold in Indiana, but even though it was just that – a joke – Clark is still better than average on the course.
“I can get in the mid-80s, if I’m lucky, but usually I’m just praying to break 100,” Clark said during The Annika Women’s Leadership Summit Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Clark will take part in The Annika pro-am, playing the first nine with current world No. 1 Nelly Korda and back nine with tournament namesake Annika Sorenstam – two players who can teach Clark a lot about power and finesse on the links.
Whether Clark hits that “lucky” mid-80s or fights to break 100 remains to be seen, but we do know she’s been practicing with a coach back in Indianapolis. The bad news is, she’s flying blind.
“I haven’t even seen [the course],” Clark admitted when speaking to the media. “I’ll be out there at 7 a.m. and hoping for the best. Find out where I’m supposed to aim, and I hope it goes there.”
Clark has been playing golf since she was a kid, when she had a “pink little cute golf-club set growing up” that she got for one of her birthdays. She’d always beg her dad to take her out to the course and loved watching the sport on TV, especially Rory McIlroy – one of her favorite players.
Nowadays, it can be hard for Clark to find time to play, especially when the WNBA season runs from May to September – prime course time, especially up north. Still, the “average golfer” with a 16-ish handicap makes time, whether it be with her Indiana Fever teammates or her family (she’ll play some courses in Arizona on their Thanksgiving trip in a few weeks’ time).
This isn’t Clark’s first pro-am – she played at the John Deere Classic in 2023, where her team finished 5 under.
While The Annika tournament and its pro-am are taking place at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, Clark has quite a few places she’d like to play in the future, with Pebble Beach being the first that came to mind, but as far as the here and now goes, Clark’s goal is simple:
“I just don’t want to hit anyone with a golf ball. That is my No. 1 priority!”
It’s a humble admission from one of the most popular basketball players and athletes in America right now. Even so, whether she cards an 80 or 120, people will be tuning in – part of the reason she is given so much credit for the women’s sports boom in recent years.
Separated by three decades, neither Caitlin Clark nor Annika Sorenstam set out to be trailblazers. Their desires and talents just led them down that path.
When asked about what advice she would give to women’s golf about how to step more into the spotlight, Clark didn’t have anything specific – “They’re doing pretty great.” – but she did talk about the importance of getting eyes on women’s sports, in general, and how it’s a catalyst for growth.
“I think one of the coolest things is when people show up for the first time, and then they continue to come back,” Clark said. “Once they give it an opportunity, they see how great the product is, you know, whatever that is. Whether they turn on the TV, and then they’re going to turn it on again. Whether they buy a ticket and they’re following alongside, sitting in the seats at a game. People realize how tremendous the product is and how great women’s sports are. I think that’s been, not my biggest piece of advice, but, give it a chance. Turn it on. Watch it. You see how tremendous the product is.
“Obviously women’s basketball has grown a lot, but it’s every women’s sport. You look at golf, you look at gymnastics, you look at volleyball – it’s across the board – and I think that’s what’s really cool. It’s only growing, but there’s still so much room to keep going and going. As somebody that’s loved women’s sports from a young age, it really gets me excited about the future of where it can go.”