Caitlin Clark is making her long-awaited return to top level sports after three months out injured… but it’s not to the basketball court.
The WNBA icon will instead swap the hardwood for grass to play in a celebrity golf tournament in Florida next month.
Clark was revealed on Thursday morning as the latest big name taking part in The Annika’s pro-am competition on the LPGA Tour.
Following on from a successful appearance at the same event last year, she will once again join world No 1 Nelly Korda, and women’s golf legend Annika Sorenstam at Pelican Golf Club on November 12.
It will mark Clark’s first sporting appearance since July 15, when she played a WNBA game for the Indiana Fever against Connecticut.
After that, her second WNBA season was cut short by a groin injury, with the team eventually confirming she would sit out for the rest of the year on September 4.
Caitlin Clark will once again join world No 1 Nelly Korda (center) and Annika Sorenstam (right)
Clark sat out the last three months of the WNBA season with an ongoing groin problem
Her appearance in the Pro-Am competition will be her first sporting participation since July
Her team suffered in her absence, reaching the playoffs but eventually being eliminated by the now-champion Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals.
In a statement, Clark said: ‘I had an amazing time at The ANNIKA last November and participating in the Pro-Am alongside Nelly Korda and Annika Sorenstam, two of the best in the game.
‘I’m honored to be an ambassador for a company in Gainbridge that is so committed to elevating women’s sports. I can’t wait to return to Tampa in November to play in the Pro-Am with the best women golfers in the world.’
The pro tournament sees the best female golfers in the world competing for a $3.25million purse, one of the largest on the LPGA Tour.
Last year saw thousands of fans flock to the course for a glimpse of Clark in action, with many wearing Indiana Fever and Iowa Hawkeye jerseys.
Since the end of the WNBA season, Clark has been out and about at various sporting events, most recently joining Taylor Swift in a VIP suite at Arrowhead to watch Travis Kelce and the Chiefs.
Last year, Clark struck a fan during the tournament, but it went down well with the crowd
The WNBA icon spent Sunday night watching Travis Kelce and the Chiefs with Taylor Swift
Days earlier, she attended an Indianapolis Colts NFL game with her Indiana Fever teammates
Days earlier, she enjoyed another NFL game, this time at home in Indianapolis, as she was gifted a Colts jersey and watched on with her teammates as they beat the Raiders at Lucas Oil.
But golf has proven to be one of Clark’s biggest passions in life, and after a few mishaps at the Pelican last year, she will surely be hoping to show an improved performance in 2025.
Last year, she teed off at 7am and inadvertently struck a spectator with her tee shot at the par-three ninth.
Nobody was hurt, and the fan in question walked away with a golf ball signed by Clark, taking the moment in good humor.
