Caitlin Clark’s LPGA look at The Annika will are available entrance of the cameras.
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It hasn’t taken the LPGA and Golf Channel very lengthy to study the brand new rule of sports activities tv.
Actually, it’s taken no time in any respect.
The rule? If Caitlin Clark is in entrance of the cameras, begin rolling.
Clark, the 22-year-old WNBA famous person, has ignited a uncommon form of celeb within the sports activities world. Audiences flock and a focus follows her in all places. And, with the WNBA in its offseason, which means audiences and a focus are flowing to a few of Clark’s much less skilled pursuits, like her look within the pro-am at subsequent week’s LPGA occasion, The Annika.
In response to SBJ’s Josh Carpenter, Golf Channel might be extending its protection from Pelican Golf Membership for the WNBA star’s Professional-Am spherical, happening air some 90 minutes early, at 11 a.m., to indicate reside look-ins and highlights, which might be break up between 9 holes with Nelly Korda and 9 holes with Sorenstam. Along with Golf Channel’s protection, the LPGA may also bolster its social protection to supply reside updates from Clark’s vary time and spherical all through the morning.
Why are the LPGA and Golf Channel switching their broadcast plans so as to give extra airtime to Caitlin Clark’s pro-am look? Effectively, in case you haven’t seen a few of Clark’s exploits over the past a number of years between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Indiana Fever, we’ll let Augusta Nationwide chairman Fred Ridley fill in among the blanks in your behalf.
“I feel that each on occasion anyone comes alongside that simply captures the creativeness of the sporting world. And I say ‘sporting world’ as a result of it actually goes past basketball,” Ridley mentioned in his annual state-of-the-state press convention at Augusta Nationwide final April. “I imply, the best way Caitlin performs the sport, her ardour, her vitality, it actually simply captures the creativeness of the followers.”
Absolutely the LPGA hopes that aligning Clark with its model will assist increase the tides for each events, however Clark’s success will shine the highlight significantly brilliant on her front-nine accomplice. Nelly Korda ripped off one of many hottest streaks the game has ever seen within the winter and spring of 2024, notching 5 straight victories together with a serious championship, however she has been the topic of a broader dialog surrounding advertising and marketing efforts and “famous person habits” within the months which have adopted.
For her half, Korda has upped her stardom’s ante in an enormous approach in ’24 each on the course and off. She has develop into a extra frequent contributor in press settings, attending the Met Gala, and most just lately, posing for the Sports activities Illustrated swimsuit challenge.
It may not be sufficient to succeed in the extent of stupefying means as soon as captured by Tiger Woods, and now by Clark, however as Ridley identified in April, there’s extra to the story than means.
“We now have to maintain making an attempt. There’s extra issues we have to do. We’re going to proceed to consider that, to discover methods,” Ridley mentioned. “However I simply suppose it’s kind of a form of a unicorn, actually, we’d like extra unicorns in that regard.”
