Huge crowds gathered at Pelican Golf Club in Florida as sporting icons Nelly Korda and Caitlin Clark teamed up at The ANNIKA pro-am.
Basketball star Clark is an avid golfer, and continued her love affair with the sport this week ahead of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
She played with both 15-time LPGA Tour champion Korda and sponsor exemption Lauryn Nguyen at the competition in Belleair.
Nguyen and Korda now turn their focus to the tournament itself, which the latter won last year for the third time in her career.
Caitlin Clark gives her verdict on Nelly Korda’s game after playing golf with her
First, however, Clark was able to give her verdict on the former world number one, having been asked what their nine holes together means for women’s sports.
She responded: “I think it just shows how powerful supporting one another can truly be. I’ve always been a big advocate of that and supporting women’s sports. Always been a big fan, whether it’s golf or soccer or volleyball, whatever it is.
“So it’s really fun to see her do her craft up close and how good she is and getting to play with her last year; and I played a few other rounds with her.
“She just makes the game of golf look really easy. You’re almost like, how? But she’s great and I’m rooting for her to win this big.”
READ MORE: Who won in a match between Grant Horvat and Nelly Korda when they both played from the same tees
Nelly Korda shares her opinion on Caitlin Clark after their pro-am pairing at The ANNIKA
Korda was indeed quick to return the favor, having been left in high spirits by Clark and the atmosphere she managed to bring to Florida.
The two-time major winner has only just returned from injury, having been absent from the LPGA Tour for over a month.
Describing the atmosphere at Pelican, she said: “It’s crazy. That first tee was something out of a book almost.
“But it’s so fun. It’s cool to see how many people she brings together to another sport, and it’s fun to hang out with her. She’s super cool.
“We saw each other last week at an outing, and, yeah, I mean, it’s nice to be alongside greats; even her teammates are super fun. It’s been a blast so far.”
And when asked what she can learn from the Indiana Fever star, Korda said: “I think she enjoys everything that she does. You know, there are only so many things that you can juggle.
“There are so many things we have to do, and for her to be so laid back and relax and have fun and chitchat with everyone is cool to see.”
Nelly Korda reacts to Kai Trump’s sponsor exemption on the LPGA Tour
Further intrigue has arrived at the event regarding Kai Trump, who has received a sponsor exemption in Florida.
Trump has played golf with Donald Trump, her grandfather, but her focus is now on making her LPGA Tour debut.
Reacting to the decision to hand the 18-year-old an invite, Korda said: “Yeah, I mean, I think it’s a great learning opportunity for her if she is serious about the game of golf.
“There is no better way to test your game than to play alongside the best players in the world. It will be a nice and fun experience for her I’m sure.”
It will be intriguing to track her progress, but certainly the LPGA Tour made a great decision with Trump regarding her invite.
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