“I don’t know what I’m gonna do tomorrow, maybe play some golf,” Caitlin Clark said when the Connecticut Sun had ousted the Indiana Fever in round one of the playoffs. Seemingly in a daze, all CC wanted was to take a break from basketball after a happening rookie year. And she’s going to do it on the greens. “That’s what I’m gonna do until it becomes too cold in Indiana. So I got that. I’ll become a professional golfer.” And the LPGA is on board!

Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter just announced, “@CaitlinClark22 will appear at a women’s leadership summit for @ANNIKA59‘s LPGA event next month, @theANNIKAlpga. Clark will also play in the Wednesday pro-am. Both Clark and the tournament are sponsored by Gainbridge.”

The Fever rookie last appeared in the 2023 John Deere Classic, where she impressed fellow Iowan Zach Johnson and Ludvig Aberg. Back then, Caitlin Clark had been fresh off a loss to NCAA rival Angel Reese’s LSU in a game that set college basketball viewership records.

An impressed Johnson said, “I don’t know if transcendent is the right word, but what happened in the NCAA women’s tournament – as an Iowan but also as a fan of sports – was just spectacular.” Johnson and Clark had played in the back nine of the morning pro-am round, with CC’s crew consisting mostly of her fans in Hawkeyes’ colors.

So far, Clark has made clear that she won’t be playing overseas in the W offseason, meaning we’ll likely only see her back on the basketball court once the next season arrives. For now, the big orange ball is going to be substituted with a small white ball. “Every Sunday, I usually have the TV on and am watching (the PGA TOUR),” Clark told the PGA Tour last year.

But while the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year has considerable talent on the court, she’s still finding her way with a golf club in her hands. Nevertheless, the ever-active athlete can’t stay away from sports in her free time. And golf is a great way to take her mind off of basketball.

How the golf course has become an “escape from reality” for Caitlin Clark

With a golf course right on the edge of her former University of Iowa campus, visiting Finkbine from time to time was a no-brainer. When her coaches told her “to get away from the gym,” Caitlin Clark found another way to keep herself active. “This is a little out of my comfort zone, so I just tried to have fun with it,” Clark told Golf Digest last year. “Obviously, when you get to golf with the Ryder Cup captain, not many people get that opportunity, so it’s pretty special.”

Last year, just nine days after the Hawkeyes’ loss to the Tigers, Caitlin Clark posted an Instagram story from Brown Deer Golf Club. Even a few days ago, after the Indiana Fever lost to the Connecticut Sun, she posted a story from her day at a lush green golf course with boyfriend, Connor McCaffery.

“You can clear your mind, do something you really love, and have the peace and quiet of just your friends around or even just yourself,” Clark told Golf Digest. “I love being able to escape reality for a little bit.”

This offseason, CC had more or less confirmed that it would be a few months without professional basketball. She will not be playing in the Unrivaled League beginning in January and has no plan to play in another country. Maybe golf is all she needs right now!