Throughout her meteoric rise to the apex of sports, Caitlin Clark has consistently shown she’s willing to engage with her fans, to connect with them on a deep level. Wednesday morning during the pro-am at The Annika, an LPGA tournament in Tampa, Clark once again proved she’s always ready to give to her fans.
Sure, in this case, the gift was a golf ball rocketed right into the gallery, but hey, generosity comes in many forms. And sometimes souvenirs come at you at high speed.
Clark, the WNBA All-Star and Rookie of the Year, teed it up as part of the pro-am field at The Annika, a star-studded LPGA event at Pelican Golf Club near Tampa. Clark teed off early on Wednesday, and was scheduled to play with world No. 1 Nelly Korda for the first nine and tournament host Annika Sorenstam for the second nine.
After a whirlwind year that saw her cap off a triumphant college career at Iowa and lead an explosion in WNBA popularity at Indiana, Clark stepped out of the public eye for a few weeks. She’s long professed her love for golf, and the LPGA leaped at the opportunity to align with the Caitlin Clark Experience this week.
Ironically enough, Clark’s greatest fear was clocking someone outside the ropes. “I’m going to hit some good, I’m going to hit some bad,” she said on Tuesday prior to the tournament. “Just going to try not to hit anyone standing outside of the ropes. But it’ll be fun.”
Clark calls herself an “average” player with a handicap of 16.
She apparently didn’t injure anyone with that tee shot, but someone got a one-of-a-kind souvenir. At least, Clark probably hopes it’ll be one-of-a-kind.
