With the appearance of women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark, the LPGA Tour’s Annika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican pro-am venue is crowded to an unprecedented level. /Imagn Images Yonhap News
The appearance of Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever, 22), the 22-year-old ‘basketball queen’, made the LPGA Tour pro-am, which was usually enjoyed quietly by only the participants, shake up. Pro-Am is an event where invited amateurs enjoy a round with professional golfers ahead of the official tournament. As the crowds flocked to see the superstar up close, voices were heard from all over the golf course, asking for restraint, saying, “Don’t push.”
Annika Sorenstam and Kaitlyn Clark played together rounds in the Pro-Am. /AFP Yonhap News
Pelican Golf Club in Bel Air, Florida, USA on the 13th (local time). A pro-am was held ahead of the LPGA Tour The Annika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican (total prize money of $3.25 million). Fans cheered as Caitlin Clark prepared for her tee shot in the same group as the tournament host, golf queen Annika Sorenstam (Sweden, 54) and world number one women’s golf Nelly Korda (USA, 26). When he, who is 183cm tall, hit a great driver shot, a cheer similar to that heard at a PGA Tour major tournament erupted.
Clark is called ‘the Michael Jordan of women’s basketball.’ She is a superstar who has created a craze in the U.S. Women’s Professional Basketball (WNBA) with her debut this season. During his college days, he set the record for the highest score (3,685 points) in history across the men’s and women’s first divisions of American college basketball, and 2.3 million people watched the TV broadcast of his professional debut. ESPN, an American sports media outlet, said at the time, “This is the highest record in 23 years since 2001.” In addition, she signed an 8-year contract worth $28 million (approximately 39.4 billion won) with the sports brand Nike, gaining enormous popularity, giving rise to a new term called the ‘Caitlyn effect’.
Clark, who has enjoyed golf in the off-season since his college days, is known to have golf skills in his early 80s. He was so passionate about golf that as soon as he finished his first season of professional basketball, he freely expressed his desire to “attend the pro-am” and “become a professional golfer,” drawing attention. The LPGA Tour, pleased with Clark’s love for golf, who is considered one of America’s top sports stars regardless of region or sport, actively invited her, saying, “Please don’t forget that we are here.” NBA (American Professional Basketball) superstar Stephen Curry is paying attention to spreading golf fever by participating in the PGA Tour Pro-Am and 2nd division tour tournaments.
Clark crossed the palms of his hands with fans as he passed through the course and signed autographs whenever he got the chance. He said, “I had the wonderful time I had hoped for.” Sorenstam, who played a round together that day, highly praised Clark’s mature attitude. “She acts and speaks appropriately enough to make you forget her age,” he said. Korda said, “It was the first time we spent time together, and it felt like I was playing a round with an old friend.”
