BELLEAIR, Florida — Caitlin Clark will not return to The ANNIKA pro-am in 2026, ending a two-year run alongside LPGA superstar Nelly Korda that transformed what is normally a quiet tournament warm-up into one of the most closely watched celebrity-golf events on the women’s calendar.
Tournament organizers confirmed that the Indiana Fever star will not participate at all in the November 11 pro-am at Pelican Golf Club, meaning there will be no third consecutive Clark-Korda pairing this year. No reason was publicly provided for Clark’s absence.
“She is not going to be playing this year,” Mike Nichols, chief of sponsorship strategy and activation for Group 1001, told Golfweek, adding that organizers appreciated the attention and energy Clark brought over the previous two editions and hope she returns in the future.
That makes the 2026 edition notable for what it will not have.
Clark’s presence in 2024 and 2025 turned the pro-am into an unusually large media event, drawing basketball fans into LPGA golf and giving the tournament exposure far beyond the traditional golf audience.
Clark and Korda Became an Unexpected Cross-Sport Pairing
The partnership began in 2024.
Clark, fresh off a rookie WNBA season that turned her into one of American sports’ biggest stars, joined Korda for part of the pro-am at Pelican Golf Club.
At the time, Korda was coming off one of the most dominant LPGA seasons in recent memory and was ranked world No. 1.
The combination immediately worked.
One athlete was the biggest new star in women’s basketball.
The other was the biggest name in women’s golf.
Together, they created a crossover moment capable of pulling fans from one sport into another.
Clark Returned in 2025 — and the Event Got Even Bigger
Clark came back for a second appearance last year.
She again played the front nine with Korda before finishing her round with another LPGA professional.
Her Indiana Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull also appeared as celebrity caddies, adding another layer of entertainment and social-media attention to the event.
Golf Channel devoted a three-hour broadcast window around Clark’s group during tournament week, an extraordinary level of attention for a pro-am session.
That is why her absence this year matters.
Clark had effectively turned Wednesday into one of the tournament’s biggest promotional days.
This Is Not a Fallout With Korda
There is no public evidence that Clark’s absence has anything to do with Nelly Korda.
The two athletes have repeatedly spoken positively about one another.
Korda said last year that Clark was “so fun to be around” and praised the number of new fans she brought into golf.
Clark similarly described the relationship as an example of women athletes supporting one another across sports.
Both are also associated with Nike, adding a commercial connection to their friendship.
So the correct framing is not that Clark and Korda “split.”
Clark simply is not participating in the 2026 pro-am.
Organizers Have Not Said Why Clark Is Sitting Out
This is the biggest unanswered question.
No injury, scheduling conflict or sponsorship issue has been publicly cited by tournament organizers.
That means speculation should be avoided.
Clark has had an extremely busy year with the Indiana Fever, and the WNBA season has extended into the fall.
But unless Clark or her representatives explain the decision, any claim about why she is skipping The ANNIKA would go beyond what is publicly confirmed.
Clark’s Basketball Season Has Been Strong
Clark entered the 2026 WNBA season healthy after a difficult 2025 campaign that had been disrupted by injuries.
She went on to rebound strongly and was named the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year, averaging 22.3 points and 8.3 assists during the regular season.
The Fever also reached the postseason.
That adds context to her golf absence.
Unlike previous years, Clark’s late-season basketball calendar has remained highly demanding.
Still, tournament officials did not cite basketball as the reason she will miss the November event.
Korda Will Still Be One of the Tournament’s Biggest Stars
Clark may be absent, but Nelly Korda is very much part of the 2026 field.
The LPGA lists Korda among the leading entries for The ANNIKA, where she has one of the best records of any player in tournament history.
Korda has won the event three times:
2021
2022
and
2024.
That makes Pelican Golf Club one of her most successful venues.
She is expected to be one of the tournament’s central attractions even without Clark beside her during the pro-am.
Korda Is Chasing a Fourth Title
Few active players have dominated one LPGA tournament as consistently.
Korda won in 2021 at 17 under.
She successfully defended the title in 2022.
Then she won again in 2024 at 14 under.
A fourth victory would strengthen Pelican’s reputation as one of Korda’s signature courses.
The challenge is that the field is again loaded.
Defending Champion Linn Grant Is Returning
Sweden’s Linn Grant will return as defending champion after winning the 2025 tournament at 19-under 261.
She beat Jennifer Kupcho by three shots.
Grant’s 19-under total tied one of the lowest winning scores in tournament history.
That immediately gives the 2026 event a compelling golf storyline independent of celebrity appearances:
Can Korda regain a title she has already won three times, or can Grant successfully defend?
Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson Add More Star Power
The early field also includes major champions Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson.
Ko is already an LPGA Hall of Fame member and one of the most accomplished golfers of her generation.
Henderson remains one of Canada’s biggest sporting stars.
That means The ANNIKA still has a strong competitive field.
What disappears without Clark is not elite golf.
It is the unusually large crossover audience she brought from basketball.
The Tournament Carries a $3.25 Million Purse
The 2026 ANNIKA will be played from November 12 through November 15 at Pelican Golf Club.
The official pro-am takes place the day before, on November 11.
The tournament offers a $3.25 million purse, one of the largest LPGA purses outside the major championships.
It is also the penultimate event of the LPGA season.
That makes it particularly important for players trying to improve their position before the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship.
The Event Has Become Bigger Than a Regular Tour Stop
The tournament carries Annika Sorenstam’s name.
That alone provides significant prestige.
Sorenstam is one of the most successful golfers in LPGA history, with 10 major championships and 72 LPGA Tour victories.
The event has steadily grown into one of the LPGA’s important late-season stops.
Clark’s involvement added something different:
mainstream celebrity attention.
That is why her absence is a marketing story even though she was never part of the professional field.
Celebrity Pro-Ams Can Be Extremely Valuable
Professional golf has long used pro-ams to connect sponsors, celebrities and fans with tournament players.
But most pro-am groups generate limited national interest.
Clark changed that equation.
Her golf swing became content.
Her conversations with Korda became content.
Her Fever teammates acting as caddies became content.
Every interaction became shareable across:
TikTok,
Instagram,
YouTube,
sports television,
and mainstream news.
That creates promotional value that would be extremely expensive to purchase through conventional advertising.
Clark Brought Basketball Fans to Golf
This may be her most important contribution to The ANNIKA.
Golf already has a dedicated audience.
Clark brought people who might not normally watch an LPGA event.
Some fans followed because they wanted to see whether she could actually play golf.
Others followed because of the friendship with Korda.
Some may have discovered LPGA players they had never watched before.
That is exactly what sports marketers want from a crossover event.
The celebrity becomes the entry point.
The sport gets the chance to keep the audience.
Korda Acknowledged Clark’s Effect Directly
Korda said last year that it was “cool” to see how many people Clark brings to a different sport and how much of a difference she makes.
That comment gets to the center of the story.
Clark’s golf ability was never really the point.
She openly described herself as an ordinary golfer.
Her value to the event came from attention.
Clark Has Never Pretended to Be an Elite Golfer
Before her first appearance, Clark described herself as an average golfer and said she played to roughly a 16 handicap.
She said a round in the mid-80s would be good for her and joked that she was often simply hoping to break 100.
That relatability became part of the appeal.
Fans were not watching a professional basketball star pretend to be an LPGA-level golfer.
They were watching one of the best basketball players in the world struggle with golf the same way millions of recreational players do.
That made the event more entertaining.
Her Imperfect Golf Was Actually Good Television
This is part of what celebrity golf does well.
Clark can hit a great shot.
Then miss the next one badly.
Korda can offer advice.
Fans can see the enormous difference between an elite professional golfer and a talented athlete from another sport.
That contrast highlights just how difficult professional golf actually is.
In that sense, Clark’s participation may have made viewers appreciate Korda’s skill even more.
The Pairing Also Helped Women’s Sports Promote Women’s Sports
There was another important layer.
Clark and Korda are not simply famous athletes.
They are two of the most commercially important stars in women’s sports.
Their pairing created a rare situation where one women’s sport actively boosted another.
That matters as women’s basketball, golf, soccer and other leagues compete for larger audiences and sponsorship dollars.
Cross-promotion can expand the total audience rather than forcing each sport to market itself independently.
Gainbridge Has Been Central to That Strategy
Gainbridge is deeply involved across women’s sports and has relationships with both the tournament and Clark.
The company has used those connections to create crossover opportunities involving athletes from different sports.
That helps explain why Clark’s appearances felt more integrated than a typical celebrity cameo.
She was not simply invited because she was famous.
She was part of a wider sponsorship ecosystem.
The 2025 Version May Be Difficult to Replicate
Last year’s pro-am created a particularly strong mix:
Clark.
Korda.
Fever teammates.
Golf Channel coverage.
Large crowds.
A familiar venue.
Social-media buzz.
Those elements combined to turn what is normally a pre-tournament corporate event into something closer to a standalone sports show.
Without Clark, organizers may need to find another way to create the same Wednesday energy.
But The ANNIKA Does Not Depend on Clark
This point also deserves emphasis.
The tournament existed before Clark.
It has major champions.
A substantial purse.
A respected host.
And one of the strongest late-season fields on the LPGA schedule.
Clark enhanced the event.
She did not define its competitive legitimacy.
That distinction matters because some headlines can make it sound as if the tournament itself has suffered a sporting loss.
It has lost a celebrity attraction.
It has not lost one of its professional competitors.
Korda’s Chase Is Still the Golf Story
For actual tournament competition, Korda remains one of the most important players to watch.
Her record at Pelican is exceptional.
A fourth win would give her victories in four of the seven editions of the event.
That would be extraordinary dominance.
Grant’s title defense creates another strong storyline.
Ko and Henderson add even more star power.
From a golf perspective, the tournament remains compelling.
The Bigger Question Is Whether Clark Returns in 2027
Organizer Mike Nichols’ statement left the door open.
He explicitly said the event looks forward to having Clark back in the future.
That suggests there is no public indication of a permanent separation.
The simplest interpretation is that 2026 is a missed year.
If Clark returns in 2027, the two-year run could resume without much difficulty.
If she does not, 2024 and 2025 may eventually be remembered as a short but unusually successful crossover experiment.
Her Absence May Reveal How Much Value One Athlete Can Add
The 2026 event will offer an interesting natural comparison.
Organizers already know what the tournament looked like with Clark.
This year they will see what it looks like without her.
Ticket interest.
Wednesday attendance.
television audiences.
Social engagement.
Those numbers could indirectly reveal how much incremental value Clark actually created.
That would be useful not only for the LPGA but for sports marketers everywhere.
Clark’s Commercial Impact Extends Beyond Basketball
The fact that her decision not to play in a golf pro-am becomes national news says something about her status.
Very few basketball players could generate headlines simply by skipping a recreational golf appearance.
Clark can.
Her visibility has crossed into:
advertising,
golf,
media,
fashion,
and broader entertainment.
That makes her more than a WNBA star from a sponsorship perspective.
She is a mainstream sports property.
Women’s Golf Benefits From That Reach
The LPGA has its own stars.
Korda.
Ko.
Henderson.
Charley Hull.
Lilia Vu.
And many others.
But every professional sports league benefits when outside audiences enter through another cultural doorway.
Clark was one of those doors.
That does not mean the LPGA needs celebrities to succeed.
It means celebrity collaborations can help expose the sport to people who otherwise might never sample it.
This Year, Korda Has the Stage to Herself
There is also a different way to view Clark’s absence.
Without the celebrity storyline dominating pro-am day, more attention may stay on the professional field itself.
Korda is world No. 1 and a three-time champion at Pelican.
Grant is the defending champion.
Ko is a Hall of Famer.
That is already enough star power for serious golf fans.
The tournament now gets to find out whether the crossover audience Clark helped build will remain engaged even when she is not there.
That May Be the Real Legacy of the Partnership
Clark and Korda’s two-year pairing did more than create entertaining highlights.
It introduced some basketball fans to women’s golf.
If a portion of those fans now tune in to watch Korda even without Clark, the partnership accomplished something larger than a celebrity appearance.
It created audience transfer.
That is the most valuable outcome cross-sport marketing can produce.
The Biggest Story Is Not That Clark and Korda Won’t Play Together
The original headline sounds like a pairing decision.
The reality is more significant.
Clark is skipping the pro-am entirely.
There is no confirmed replacement pairing.
There is no announced dispute.
There is no public explanation.
What remains is the impact she leaves behind after only two appearances.
A Wednesday event that had typically been secondary suddenly became must-see programming.
A professional golfer and a basketball star became one of women’s sports’ most effective crossover pairings.
And now the 2026 tournament will provide a simple test:
Can The ANNIKA hold onto the extra attention Caitlin Clark helped create even when Caitlin Clark is no longer standing on the first tee?
