Caitlin Clark’s LPGA appearance at The Annika will come before the cameras.
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It didn’t take long for the LPGA and the Golf Channel to learn the new rule of sports television.
In fact, it took no time at all.
The rule? whether Caitlin Clark it’s in front of the cameras, start spinning.
Clark, the 22-year-old WNBA superstar, is on fire a rare kind of celebrity in the world of sports. The audience flocks and attention follows him everywhere. And, with the WNBA in its offseason, that means audiences and attention are flowing to some of Clark’s less professional activities, like her pro-am appearance at next week’s LPGA event. Annika.
According to SBJs Josh CarpenterGolf Channel will expand its coverage from Pelican Golf Club to the WNBA All-Star Pro-Am Round, airing approximately 90 minutes earlier at 11 a.m. to feature live footage and highlights, which will to be split between nine holes with Nelly Korda and nine holes with Sorenstam. In addition to Golf Channel coverage, the LPGA will also strengthen its social coverage to provide live updates from Clark’s time and round throughout the morning.
Why are the LPGA and Golf Channel changing their broadcast plans to give more airtime to Caitlin Clark’s pro-am appearance? Well, if you haven’t seen some of Clark’s exploits over the past few years between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Indiana Fever, we’ll let Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley fill in some of the blanks for you.
“I think every once in a while someone comes along that just captures the imagination of the sports world. And I say ‘sports world’ because it really goes beyond basketball,” Ridley said in his Annual State of the State press conference at Augusta National last April. “I mean, the way Caitlin plays the game, her passion, her energy, it really just captures the imagination of the fans.”
The LPGA is sure to hope that Clark’s alignment with its brand will help turn the tide for both sides, but Clark’s success will shine a spotlight on her ninth partner in particular. Nelly Korda pulled off one of the hottest seasons the sport has ever seen in the winter and spring of 2024, posting five straight wins, including a major championship, but she has been the subject of a wider conversation about marketing efforts. and “superstar behavior” in the months that followed.
For her part, Korda has greatly increased her star rating in ’24, both on and off the field. She has become a more frequent contributor to press circles, attending the Met Gala and most recently, posing for Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
It may not be enough to reach the level of astonishing skill once captured by Tiger Woods, and now by Clark, but as Ridley pointed out in April, there is more to history than skill.
“We have to keep trying. There are more things we need to do. We’ll continue to think about it, to explore ways,” Ridley said. “But I just think it’s kind of a unicorn, really, we need more unicorns in this regard.”
