Golf Channel will have live coverage of Caitlin Clark pro-am round at The Annika
Caitlin Clark is returning to The Annika pro-am after first appearing in 2024.
Douglas P. DeFelice
It’s not overstating it to say that last year’s Wednesday pro-am of The Annika was the most-watched non-competitive round in LPGA Tour history. All thanks to the presence of Caitlin Clark the basketball star who had just finished an WNBA rookie season with the Indiana Fever that changed the landscape in women’s sports.
Ticket demand for the pro-am was reportedly 12-fold at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., as fans flocked to see Clark play respectable golf, even if she did rocket one tee shot over the heads of the gallery. The LPGA and Golf Channel took full advantage of the moment by televising the event live.
The buzz is clearly not the same this year—probably in large part due to Clark being limited by injuries in her sophomore campaign—but the 23-year-old superstar from Iowa remains such an athlete of interest that Golf Channel is mirroring its effort from a year ago. The channel announced that it will begin live coverage of The Annika pro-am at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
As she did last year, Clark will play alongside World No. 2 and defending tournament champion Nelly Korda for the first nine holes (their tee time is 8:30 a.m.), and then with Lauryn Nguyen, the former All-American from Northwestern who has turned pro and received a sponsor’s exemption.
In addition to the play, Golf Channel said it will conduct live interviews during the round with tournament host Annika Sorenstam; Indiana Fever guards Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull, who will caddy for Clark; and Briana Scurry, former goalkeeper for the U.S. women’s national soccer team.
"[Clark] added so much excitement to the tournament," Sorenstam said in an interview with Golf Channel on Monday. "We had a lot of people come out; they were standing on the first tee at 7 a.m., waiting for her to see that first shot.
"She loves the game of golf, and I'm so glad that she wanted to come back because it brings more people to the game, brings more people to the tournament, and that's really what we're looking for."