WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark is set to face off against women's golf prodigy Nelly Korda next month, and the basketball star has already expressed her admiration for the 26-year-old golfer.
The Indiana Fever guard had previously hinted at a desire to pursue professional golf during the basketball off-season. While it doesn't seem like she'll be hitting the greens full-time in the near future, it's been announced that she'll participate in the LPGA (The Ladies Professional Golf Association) Pro-Am competition on Wednesday, November 13, where she's also slated to be a panellist at the Women's Leadership Summit.
Alongside playing with tournament host and 10-time major winner Annika Sorenstam, Clark will play nine holes with Korda in the 18-hole pro-am. Korda's influence on women's golf has been likened to the significant impact Clark has had on women's basketball.
Korda kicked off the year with six wins in her first eight starts, leading many to wonder if the American could have a Clark-like effect on the LPGA. Clark's legendary debut season in the WNBA wrapped up in late September after the Fever were eliminated from the playoffs.
However, the NCAA's all-time leading scorer regularly attracted record crowds at both the collegiate and professional levels. Speaking about her passion for golf, Clark disclosed that she's excited to be participating in the event, reports the Express .
"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.
The sporting world is abuzz with chatter about the dynamic between Korda and Clark, two trailblazers in American women's sports. Particularly now that they're set to compete on the green.
Clark has kept her cards close to her chest regarding her sentiments towards Korda, but she did subtly show support by 'liking' a celebratory Instagram post by Nike dedicated to Korda following her second championship win of the year. The post featured an image of Korda with the caption 'The future just made history'.
By liking the Instagram post, Clark tacitly endorsed Nike's high praise of the golf sensation. Despite Korda's impressive achievements, Augusta Chairman Fred Ridley suggested that Clark's WNBA journey has resonated more strongly with fans, possibly due to her amateur roots and "passion" and Ridley even admitted that his interest in the WNBA spiked primarily because of Clark.
"I have to confess that, in spite of my love of the game and the women's game of golf, I haven't watched a lot of women's basketball, but I watched the last three or four games that Iowa played this year," he said.
"So there you go. I mean, it's just the way she plays, the way Caitlin plays the game, her passion, her energy, it just - it really just captures the imagination of the fans."
Clark shared her excitement about the upcoming event, saying: "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."
Fans could be in for a treat similar to last summer's buzz at the John Deere Classic Pro-Am when Clark teamed up with Zach Johnson and Ludvig Aberg, as she prepares to take to the greens again.
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