Caitlin Clark commands all attention, even in LPGA Tour pro-am

Caitlin Clark (photo courtesy LPGA)

Annika Sorenstam is a 10-time major champion and considered the greatest LPGA Tour player of the modern era. Nelly Korda is the reigning LPGA Tour player of the year after a historic season in which the world No. 1 matched Sorenstam’s record of five straight wins.

Neither of those golf luminaries was the main attraction during Wednesday’s pro-am ahead of the tournament that bears Sorenstam’s name. The packed galleries for the Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, instead were fixated on Caitlin Clark, the WNBA superstar who has taken the sports world by storm.

Clark played 18 holes in what was by all accounts the most watched pro-am round in LPGA Tour history. The rookie of the year with the Indiana Fever joined Korda for the front nine and Sorenstam on the back, frequently pausing for pictures with fans, some clad in Fever gear and others wearing Clark’s No. 22 Iowa jersey.

Caitlin Clark pro-am highlights can be found here.

“I think it’s great for women’s sports,” Korda said during her post-round news conference as Clark remained on the course signing autographs for her legion of supporters, some of whom had traveled from Iowa to get a glimpse of the two-time national player of the year. “I love that she has a love of the game of golf. Me, I’ve never really tuned in to watching basketball before her, honestly. I think it’s just growing interest in all of women’s sports.”

Analysts on Golf Channel, which devoted an hour of live airtime to Clark’s round, described the scene as “the Clark effect,” linked to the unprecedented ratings for women’s basketball since the NCAA Division I scoring leader and the first pick in the 2024 WNBA draft emerged.

Fever games averaged 1.19 million viewers this season, nearly 200 percent higher than the audience for other WNBA games. Clark’s final playoff game averaged 2.5 million viewers, making it cable’s most watched WNBA game of all time. The WNBA completed its most-watched season in 24 years and had its highest attendance in 22 years.

Clark commanded even higher ratings in college, where she directed the University of Iowa to consecutive appearances in the Final Four. Her final game with the Hawkeyes, a loss to South Carolina for the NCAA tournament title, drew a record 18.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

“I feel very fortunate, and obviously women’s sports are on the rise,” Clark said during an on-course interview Tuesday with Golf Channel. “This is only the beginning. It’s only going to get better and better. I’ve been a fan my whole life, so it’s cool of it to be where it is now, but I know it can go even better places.”

Clark’s crossover appeal was on full display as she walked down the 18th fairway, when LPGA Tour players politely asked her to pose with them for selfies. Maria Fassi first requested a picture with Clark and Sorenstam, who spoke glowingly about her playing partner and the potential for her to bring new fans to women’s golf.

Clark also posed for a selfie with Ally Ewing, who was part of the winning U.S. team at this year’s Solheim Cup.

“It’s great that she’s here,” said Sorenstam, the tournament host. “Very thankful for her to take the time to be part of our event. She’s just a really nice person, down to earth. She’s an athlete – you can tell. If she didn’t hit it well, she’s a little bit upset because she knows she can do it. …

“I think it’s awesome. Yeah, I love all the young girls with the signs – nothing we would really see on a normal Wednesday. It’s just great how it brings attention to the tournament.”