LPGA shifts broadcast plans for Caitlin Clark pro-am appearance

It hasn’t taken the LPGA and Golf Channel very long to learn the new rule of sports television.

In fact, it’s taken no time at all.

The rule? If Caitlin Clark is in front of the cameras, start rolling.

Clark, the 22-year-old WNBA superstar, has ignited a rare kind of celebrity in the sports world. Audiences flock and attention follows her everywhere. And, with the WNBA in its offseason, that means audiences and attention are flowing to some of Clark’s less professional pursuits, like her appearance in the pro-am at next week’s LPGA event, The Annika.

According to SBJ’s Josh Carpenter, Golf Channel will be extending its coverage from Pelican Golf Club for the WNBA star’s Pro-Am round, going on air some 90 minutes early, at 11 a.m., to show live look-ins and highlights, which will be split between nine holes with Nelly Korda and nine holes with Sorenstam. In addition to Golf Channel’s coverage, the LPGA will also bolster its social coverage to provide live updates from Clark’s range time and round throughout the morning.

Why are the LPGA and Golf Channel switching their broadcast plans in order to give more airtime to Caitlin Clark’s pro-am appearance? Well, if you haven’t seen some of Clark’s exploits over the last several years between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Indiana Fever, we’ll let Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley fill in some of the blanks on your behalf.

“I think that every once in a while somebody comes along that just captures the imagination of the sporting world. And I say ‘sporting world’ because it really goes beyond basketball,” Ridley said in his annual state-of-the-state press conference at Augusta National last April. “I mean, the way Caitlin plays the game, her passion, her energy, it really just captures the imagination of the fans.”

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Surely the LPGA hopes that aligning Clark with its brand will help raise the tides for both parties, but Clark’s success will shine the spotlight particularly bright on her front-nine partner. Nelly Korda ripped off one of the hottest streaks the sport has ever seen in the winter and spring of 2024, notching five straight victories including a major championship, but she has been the subject of a broader conversation surrounding marketing efforts and “superstar behavior” in the months that have followed.

For her part, Korda has upped her stardom’s ante in a big way in ’24 both on the course and off. She has become a more frequent contributor in press settings, attending the Met Gala, and most recently, posing for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

It might not be enough to reach the level of stupefying ability once captured by Tiger Woods, and now by Clark, but as Ridley pointed out in April, there’s more to the story than ability.

“We have to keep trying. There’s more things we need to do. We’re going to continue to think about that, to explore ways,” Ridley said. “But I just think it’s sort of a kind of a unicorn, really, we need more unicorns in that regard.”