Caitlin Clark will play in the Pro-Am tourment alongside Annika Sorenstam

Caitlin Clark, this season’s WNBA Rookie of the Year, announced last week her participation in “The ANNIKA” driven by Gainbridge tournament hosted by one of the greatest female golfers in history, Annika Sörenstam. The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican is an annual LPGA Tour tournament held in the Tampa Bay area that features top female golfers competing over four rounds for a share of the $3.25 million purse – one of the largest on the LPGA Tour. According to the tournament’s official website, Clark will be a panelist at the Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, November 12, and will play in the Pro-Am on Wednesday, November 13, both at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. The tournament is called the Pro-Am because it requires a professional golfer and an amateur to tee off and play together – like Sörenstam and Clark.

 

Will Clark be able to claim the $3.25 million award

“I love golf, so the opportunity to play in a pro-am tournament with a legend like Annika Sörenstam is incredibly exciting,” said Clark. While the 22-year-old could not have been paired with a more iconic golfer to begin her golf journey, she will not be eligible for any prize money due to tournament rules. According to Annika’s tournament website, there is a total of $3.25 million up for grabs, but celebrities are not allowed to claim any of it at events like this. The pro-am event will begin after Clark’s participation, with the first round for both amateurs and professionals starting on Thursday. However, the fans will not be eligible for any prizes, including Clark, whose contract with the Indiana Fever is for 4 years and $338,056, very little in comparison to other sports, so it must have caused him at least some discomfort.

According to the USGA rulebook, section three, “An amateur competing in a scratch competition can accept prizes, including prize money, up to a limit of £700 or $1000 per event, unless a national governing body has set a lower cap.” This rule recently gained attention when it prevented 20-year-old Nick Dunlap from collecting the $1.5 million prize for winning a PGA Tour event in the first month of this year. While her contract with the Fever may not be the biggest or the tournament prize, Clark signed a $28 million endorsement deal with Nike over the next eight years. As part of the deal, Nike has committed to creating an exclusive shoe for the Indiana Fever point guard, so she won’t be burdened by the winnings along with other sponsorships and the skyrocketing fame she’s earned.

Who is Clark’s partner Annika Sörenstam

Annika Sörenstam is widely regarded as one of the greatest female golfers in history. During her career, she won 10 major championships and 72 LPGA Tour events, making her the third all-time leader in LPGA wins. Sörenstam also holds the record for the lowest scoring average in a single season, with an incredible 68.696 in 2004. She was the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event in 58 years when she competed in the 2003 Bank of America Colonial. Sörenstam retired from professional golf in 2008 but remains a significant figure in the sport through her work as a course designer and philanthropist.