Annika Sorenstam defends Caitlin Clark at the American Century Championship amid controversial WNBA season
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Annika Sorenstam defends Caitlin Clark at the American Century Championship amid controversial WNBA season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Stateline, NV – The WNBA season runs from May through September, so we’ll likely never see Caitlin Clark partake in the American Century Championship. Not while she’s still active, anyway. Still, Clark is working with golfing legend Annika Sörenstam, one of the favorites in the 2026 ACC field, on her golf game.
As Sörenstam told me during a press conference on Thursday, when I asked what Clark’s influence on her preparation is for the annual celebrity golf tournament (which takes place July 10-12 on NBC, the NBC Sports Network, and Peacock), Clark’s presence at her events is a positive for her game. Specifically, her mentality.
Sörenstam also defended her brand partner through their shared affiliation with Gainbridge, which sponsors Sörenstam's annual LPGA tournament. As Sörenstam said, it’s been a tough WNBA season for Clark, and she hasn’t had the space to play her game. More on that later.
“It's great to have her at the tournament, The Annika, driven by Gainbridge, in Tampa. As you know, she's so popular. She brings a lot of people to our tournament, to the pro-am. She creates a lot of extra buzz,” Sörenstam said of Clark.
“And it's fun to see female athletes. I mean, I've been around some other great athletes, mostly men, when it comes to other sports. So therefore, to get a female athlete of her caliber at our event, I guess it brings back memories when I was younger, a little more hungry and energetic and motivated. And when you're in your peak, you just kind of -- that's all you live for.
“But she's a great person. She loves the sport, as everybody knows. She's quite the athlete. So fun to have her. And you see people, they go crazy around her. It brings more people to the sport.
“But super proud of her and what she's trying to do. And it's been a little tough season for her. I think we all cheer for her in so many ways. And I wish they would give her a little more space and give her a chance to compete a little better. But that's sports, right?”
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert refused my question on the GOP’s Caitlin Clark letter
I felt it relevant to ask the WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, one of the ACC’s 90 celebrity golfers, about the GOP’s letter to ensure Clark’s safety on the court on Thursday. The letter was published on Wednesday. Clark was famously struck in the throat by the Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas in June, which prompted a suspension. For some reason, this broke containment and became political.
Per RSC Chairman August Pfluger, “Caitlin Clark is transforming women’s sports. She has inspired a new generation of young girls to participate in athletics and has become one of the most influential figures in the history of women’s basketball. She is also the face of your league… Clark has been hip-checked, poked in the eye, and struck in the throat during games. These incidents go far beyond routine physical play, yet the WNBA and its officiating have too often failed to address these unacceptable incidents and hold players accountable. If discrimination or retaliation is occurring and creating a hostile work environment, we support any appropriate investigation by the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”
Engelbert had no interest in sharing her thoughts on the matter, saying, “I thought you were going to ask a golf question. … I’m on vacation.” She was running back to her clubs as she was responding.
Fair enough. Lake Tahoe and the Edgewood Tahoe Resort are a collectively beautiful sight, and dealing with such an ugly topic while at the driving range towards the end of a long, hot day isn’t ideal.
Clark is a polarizing figure, but as Sörenstam notes, she’s a good person underneath all the outside noise and deserves the chance to play without being a target on the hardwood.
How Engelbert handles the physicality with Clark on the court moving forward will answer my question better than a soundbite at the driving range.