Caitlin Clark tees it up with Nelly Korda, proves she is human | Rogers Report

Hello friends and welcome to this very special edition of the Rogers Report, where I’ll be focusing on Caitlin Clark’s appearance at The ANNIKA this week. Clark was part of the Women’s Leadership Summit alongside Annika Sorenstam on Tuesday, had a press conference on Tuesday afternoon and teed it up in the Pro-Am first thing on Wednesday morning. Talk about a busy schedule!

The Indiana Fever’s No. 22 and World No. 1 Nelly Korda played together on the front nine at Pelican Golf Club, and the fans were out bright and early to catch the action.

Side note: This might be the closest thing we get to an official jersey swap in golf, although I wouldn’t hate a Sun Day Red and Malbon Golf swap on the 18th green at a major if Tiger Woods and Jason Day ever agree to it.

Caitlin Clark does the impossible

Caitlin Clark can do just about anything, as we’ve learned by watching her on the basketball court. However, she did something I never expected this week at the ANNIKA: she was relatable. I guess golf brings out the mortal in all of us, even Clark.

During Tuesday’s Women’s Leadership Summit, Clark gave a bunch of thoughtful replies to questions about women’s sports and leadership. She was also hilarious. When asked about her golf game, she explained that while she can hit the golf ball, it doesn’t usually go straight.

This is something all golfers have said hundreds of times. My other favorite moment from the summit was during a rapid fire Q&A session at the very end. The moderator asked the panelists about their biggest fear. Annika Sorenstam and Kathy Ireland gave answers about failure and untapped potential. Clark said cats. Apparently, her neighbor growing up had a mean black cat and ever since then she’s been scared of them. For a brief moment there, I saw myself in her.

I need to give a major shoutout to Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols, because her content from the ANNIKA is the backbone of today’s Rogers Report. Nichols noted that while Clark did eventually head to the range before her tee time, it wasn’t until the last minute.

Nothing says “I have a lot going on” like a last-minute warmup on the range. I’ll never be late to a tee time, but I often have to skip out on a proper warmup before a tee time with my pals due to work responsibilities or a million other things that sometimes get in the way. Also, a 7:00 a.m. tee time already means you have an early wake-up! Good for Clark for doing what the rest of us often do and cutting the pre-round range session a little short.

And for the grand finale of Caitlin Clark being relatable, we have her tee shot on the 3rd hole. Please enjoy the video below before we really dive into it.

The topped tee shot that goes directly into the rough is as human as it gets.

It is very safe to say that this was a different “courtside” experience for Caitlin Clark. I do worry that the fans standing right by the ropes have gotten too comfortable at golf tournaments. To attend a pro-am is to know to stand about a dozen or so yards back from the fairway at all times — and even then, you might be too close. Golf can very easily become a contact sport during pro-ams. I’ve seen this happen with my own two eyes numerous times.

Anyways, Clark handled this situation like a true champion. I definitely would have wanted to disappear in that moment and probably would’ve just dropped my ball up by my playing partners’ tee shots. Then again, it probably helps that she is a professional basketball player so she knows this isn’t her area of expertise. She apologized, laughed it off and took a mulligan without missing a beat. While many amateurs would be panicking that they’d hit it into the crowd a second time, Clark used the pressure to her advantage and hit the fairway.

The fans

What’s better than missing school? Missing school to watch Caitlin Clark and Nelly Korda. (Editor’s note: we here at the Rogers Report are very pro-education and pro-attending class. However, it’s not every day you get to see Caitlin Clark play golf, so we support the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Group playing hooky just this once.)

I’d like to take a moment here to endorse handmade signs on the golf course. They’re so fun to see at other sporting events and I could definitely get behind seeing more of them at professional golf tournaments.

One positive result of Clark hitting a few errant shots at the ANNIKA is the fact that she really got to engage with the gallery. One woman in the gallery got Clark’s golf ball on the third hole, and I was very happy to learn that she plays No. 22 on the golf course as well as the basketball court.

The back nine

Clark teed it up with LPGA legend and tournament host Annika Sorenstam on the back nine on Wednesday, and it’s safe to say they make a good team.

Clark made a few birdie putts today and please know that if I had been on site for this I’d be yelling “three!” after she drained this one for birdie on the front alongside Nelly Korda.

Takeaways

It has been an incredibly exciting few days in the golf world, and Clark’s participation in the ANNIKA pro-am got me thinking about my big takeaways from this week.

Nelly Korda and Caitlin Clark are similar

These Nike athletes in their 20s are at the top of their sport. It’s probably pretty hard to find people to go to for advice when you’re at that level. Only a few people know what it’s like to deal with the pressure of being the best, and I really hope there’s a blossoming friendship here. It looks like Korda and Clark had a great time chatting on the course!

We need more Caitlin Clark golf content

The people (golf fans on site and around the world) have spoken. If Caitlin Clark shows up, they will too. The crowds following Clark’s group on Wednesday were massive, and her tee shot on No. 1 went viral by the time she made the turn at the ANNIKA. I’m all in on collaborations with athletes from different sports going forward. In fact, I’d love to see Korda at an Indiana Fever practice at some point.

Okay, maybe Korda won’t be lacing up alongside Clark anytime soon. Still, she said she’s definitely going to be watching Clark’s games going forward.

I need to take my on-course style to the next level

After seeing the custom golf kicks Clark rocked on the course on Wednesday, I’ll be taking a very close look at my own golf wardrobe.