After a limited WNBA sophomore season with just 13 games, fans are eager to see Caitlin Clark back in action. But before she hits the hardwood, she’ll be trading her basketball for golf clubs. The Indiana Fever star, who loves to golf, is set to compete in the LPGA Tour’s Annika Pro-Am for the second straight year, teeing off on November 12, just days away.

“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,” Clark said. Her return builds on last year’s success, when her appearance at the Annika Pro-Am drew thousands of fans to the course.

The same was seen on TV and the broadcast where the Golf Channel expanded its coverage just for Clark. It certainly improved the tournament’s exposure and is expected to do the same this year. Set to champion women’s sports at the Pro Am, Clark just spotlighted the women behind her rise. “I’m here to talk about women that have inspired me to become myself,” the Fever star highlighted.

“People like my mom and Coach Bluder (the then-Iowa coach), and they always push me to achieve whatever I wanted to achieve, and I think Lilly has that same goal. We align perfectly, and I’m really honored to work with them,” Caitlin Clark said while collaborating with LillyxGlamour.

Clark’s mother, Anne Nizzi Clark, has been her No.1 supporter from day 1. Her mother is a pivotal part of Clark’s success beyond just supporting her as a parent. Anne Clark leads strategic partnerships for CC22 Ventures LLC, helping secure major brand deals for the Fever star, including the $28 million deal with Nike and Gatorade.

Caitlin Clark has always drawn a clear line between basketball and life off the court. When it comes to advice, she turns to her mother for something far more meaningful. “She’s not somebody I really go to about basketball. She’s the person I go to about life, which is the most important,” Clark shared in a heartfelt Mother’s Day message earlier this year. And when it comes to basketball, for CC it is always her Iowa coach and mentor, Lisa Bluder.

Clark was already a phenom out of high school, but she wouldn’t have been the player she is today without Bluder. The longtime Iowa coach called it a day once Clark moved on to the WNBA. “Simply no one better at building a team,” Clark shared in her tribute, “Thank you for believing in me more than anyone… Enjoy retirement, coach. Very much deserved.” She even joked regarding the timing, saying, “I probably took off a couple years off of her career.” 

That is the kind of effort Bluder put into building Clark. When CC was a freshman, she wasn’t the best team player. However, Bluder understood the need for Clark to become the team’s leader and form meaningful bonds with her teammates. Bluder literally took a page out of Michael Jordan’s playbook, referencing Phil Jackson’s 1995 book, Sacred Hoops, to coach Clark.

The point guard was eager to learn, and she followed her coach’s instructions. The result is what we see today, a leader on the highest stage of women’s basketball. Beyond her coach and her mother, Clark also recently revealed another reason she plays basketball. 

How Caitlin Clark’s drive and heart keep inspiring fans

Caitlin Clark is one of the most competitive players in the WNBA. That fire is what makes her the player she is. “I think wanting to be the best,” she said last year regarding her basketball hunger, “I don’t want anyone to be better than me. In whatever it is. I just want to be better than everybody else.”

Beyond just the innate need to compete, Clark credited the fans while appearing as a guest keynote speaker at the Becker’s Health Care CEO+CFO Roundtable in Chicago.

“There’s really nothing like walking out in front of a sold-out crowd. Young boys and young girls cheering for you. That’s just a very humbling feeling,” Clark said. “At the end of the day, that’s why you do it, because you love it. You love to compete. And yeah, you want to continue to get better at it.”

Time and again, Caitlin Clark has tried to give the fans their money’s worth. Despite being injured most of the time this season, Clark travelled to every game, often signing autographs before and after the game.

“It has definitely been hard. I’m gonna go to every road game, no matter what. Whether I’m playing or not. And it’s hard, because obviously I do feel this responsibility of being out there and playing,” Clark said on Bird’s Eye With Sue Bird in August. That is one of the reasons behind such a huge following she has. The connection is organic, and many fans relate to Clark while being inspired.