WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s golf presence dubbed ‘eye-opening’ by LPGA’s The Annika host course executive

WNBA star Caitlin Clark is returning to play at The Annika Pro-Am tournament next week. The Indiana Fever point guard caught people’s attention last year when she played in the Pro-Am event of the LPGA Tour tournament. She will be joining the stellar lineup once again this year.

On Thursday, 30 October, the Chief Operating Officer of the Pelican Golf Club, venue of The Annika, Justin Sheehan, opened up about the event and talked about Clark’s presence in the event last year. He shared his excitement for the upcoming tournament and said (via Golf):

“I would imagine, since the Tuesday announcement, that this is one of the most talked-about women’s golf tournaments that has probably ever existed. It’s on news channels and sports channels.

“The numbers of social-media impressions, I guess they call it, are staggering. Love it or hate it, it’s getting people to talk about the event. We’re on a mission to grow this game. Seeing the impact Caitlin had last year was fairly eye-opening,” he added.

The Annika features a star-studded field, including the likes of Nelly Korda, who won the event last year and will return to defend her title. The tournament also features U.S. President Donald Trump’s granddaughter, Kai Trump, who received a sponsor’s exemption for the event. Kai Trump announced the big news by sharing a post on her Instagram account. She wrote:

“I will be making my LPGA Tour debut in November at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican! See you November 10-16 – at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, FL. Visit theannika.com @theannikalpga for more information. However, fans were critical of her getting an invitation to play in the LPGA Tour event.”

The tournament is scheduled to take place in Florida.

Annika Sörenstam shared excitement for Caitlin Clark’s return to the Annika

Annika Sörenstam had earlier shared her excitement for Caitlin Clark playing in The Annika Pro-Am tournament. Last month, following the big announcement, she said that the crowd was amazing in 2024 when Clark played in the tournament and expressed her excitement for this year’s event as well.

“It was an honor to play in the pro-am with Caitlin last year. The crowds were amazing, and we are excited for her return to The ANNIKA in November,” Sörenstam said via LPGA’s official website. “She added such a great dynamic to our event, and her passion for golf and competitiveness were fun to witness first hand. I look forward to having her back and continuing to introduce the great game of golf to the next generation.”

Clark is an avid golfer and plays the game whenever she can. The Pro-Am event will take place on Wednesday, November 12, and the official tournament will start on Thursday, November 13, and wrap up on Sunday, November 16. It also features Rio Takeda, Nitu Yashmita, Charley Hull, and Mami Katsu, among others.

Edited by Ankita Yadav