WNBA star Caitlin Clark once joked that she would take the offseason to become a professional golfer.
Basketball fans can relax, because the Indiana Fever star and WNBA Rookie of the Year said Tuesday he was just kidding.
Clark will play world No. 1 Nelly Korda in the front and 10-time major champion Annika Sörenstam in the back in Wednesday’s match at The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.
“You know, having my first WNBA season behind me and being here is great,” Clark said Tuesday. “I have tried to take more time to practice but there is hope, you just cross your fingers and pray.
“No, I practiced a little bit and I just got quotes to be a professional golfer. Everyone thought I was serious. I wasn’t serious. I love it. I love being outside and competing with my friends.”
Clark described himself as an “average golfer” with a handicap of about 16. He put up scores in the mid-80s but admitted, “Usually, I’m praying to break 100.”
“I’m strong, and I can hit it. It just doesn’t go well,” Clark said at the LPGA Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday. “I mean sometimes it goes straight, but it goes. You just go up there and hope for the best. … I don’t want to hit anybody with the golf ball. That’s my number one.”
Clark said he played golf with his father when he was growing up. He named PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy as his favorite golfer.
This is Clark’s second time competing in the pro-am at a professional event. Played in one of the PGA Tour’s 2023 John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois. The former Iowa Hawkeyes basketball player was paired with Ludvig Ã…berg on the front nine and fellow Iowan Zach Johnson on the back.
“I was very nervous,” Clark said. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll be nervous too. I don’t know. I mean I remind myself, like, I don’t care what happens. It doesn’t matter. I don’t play golf for a living. .
“Just have fun with it. This is nothing too serious. Enjoy the experience. There are a lot of people who would kill to be in my position or in my shoes. People who follow outside the ropes would like a chance to hit the ball. on the first tee or something like that.”
Örenstam, who has 96 world titles, gave Clark some advice.
“He’s athletic and used to crowds, and I’m sure he plays better under pressure,” said Sörenstam. “I’m an older golfer now, so I’ve been working on my game a little bit because I needed to. It’s all about having fun.”
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