The 13-Under Tsunami: How Caitlin Clark Broke a Golf Record, Left Tiger Woods “Speechless,” and Revealed a Bitter WNBA It started out as a low-key, late-season Pro-Am, an occasion so far down the sports calendar that it wasn’t even supposed to be broadcast on television. The RSM Classic was intended to be a laid-back event that would allow professionals and a few celebrities to socialize. The player list was then expanded to include just one name: Caitlin Clark.
Everything changed in an instant. The scene changed from peaceful to chaotic. Weeks’ worth of tickets disappeared in a matter of hours. At sunrise, a sea of Indiana Fever jersey-wearing fans crowded the gates instead of the typical polos-clad golfers. Because of the overwhelming and immediate demand, broadcast partners and organizers hurried to get the event on live television. This was the quintessential “Caitlin Clark Effect,” a traveling phenomenon that had recently discovered a new sport to master. Not only would she defeat it by the end of the day, but she would also leave its greatest legend stunned and reveal a resentful division within her own league.
A maximum resolution YouTube thumbnail The first tee was the first clue that this would not be your typical celebrity appearance. There was silence among the thousands gathered as Clark approached her ball, smiling and composed. The sound of “pure contact” reverberated throughout the fairway as she inhaled and swung her driver. The ball landed 270 yards away after exploding off the club face like a flawless missile. The audience burst out. However, Tiger Woods, who has witnessed everything in this sport, had the most telling response. “That’s the best first swing I’ve ever seen from a non-pro,” he muttered as he laughed, almost incredulously.
It was a foretelling. This wasn’t a vacationing basketball player. This was a transcendent athlete pursuing a new skill with her unwavering focus. “Caitlin Clark might just be better than me at this point,” tweeted Steph Curry, a formidable amateur golfer himself, before the day was halfway through. The internet went down. She was referred to by ESPN as “the most natural crossover athlete since Michael Jordan.”
However, the biggest surprise was still to come. This was not a day of good fortune. This person “just wanted to relax and have fun” by methodically demolishing a golf course. Her approach shot on the seventh hole, which is par-4, took off, landed perfectly on the green, and rolled to a stop inches from the cup. The audience roared after gasping. When the last putt fell, the scoreboard displayed an improbable 13 under par. It broke a previous Pro-Am record. Tiger Woods was reportedly left “speechless,” merely clapping in admiration, rather than merely impressed. Later, he described it to reporters as “one of the cleanest, most confident swings I’ve ever seen from someone outside of professional golf.”
The story divides at this point. A very different and chilly reception was coming from the world she rules as the golf world rolled out the red carpet. She received widespread praise from the golf community, which included both its current stars and its legends. The LPGA pros were “completely respectful.” “You belong here,” said world number one Nelly Korda to Clark. She was chased down by Maria Fassi, who thanked her for “kicking ass on and off the field.” She was praised for “doing everything right” by the LPGA, which had strategically paired her with its best player. They realized what the WNBA, perplexingly, has not: you celebrate the “Clark Effect,” not suppress it.
Siêu sao bóng rổ Caitlin Clark is a member of the LPGA Tour. The gatekeeper of the sport, Tiger Woods, did more than merely commend. According to reports, he extended an almost unprecedented invitation into golf’s elite circles by offering her a private training session. He saw someone who is “different,” as LeBron James would later post, rather than a threat.
The WNBA came next. The narrator of the video highlights the “deafening silence” from Clark’s most notable competitors while she was shattering records and making headlines in a sport she hardly participates in. According to one analyst, “the same people who accused her of receiving too much attention suddenly lost their Wi-Fi.” As soon as possible, fans deluged players like A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese’s social media accounts with the straightforward query, “Why?”
It was a harsh contrast. When the golf community saw her talent, they greeted her with open arms. As the story implies, the WNBA, or at least a vocal group within it, perceives that same talent as a threat. Thanks to Clark, the LPGA’s broadcast received higher ratings than the majority of its finals. Her home league was “awkwardly silent,” but they were having a good time. Clark responded to the perceived slight with her usual easy elegance. She simply grinned when questioned about the quiet. She declared, “I’m concentrating on what makes me happy.” “That’s competing in any sport.”
An instantaneous financial earthquake resulted from that competition. The 1,200% increase in tickets was only the beginning. In the 48 hours that followed, Clark reportedly inked three new, huge endorsement deals, totaling an estimated $15 million, with a beverage company, a high-end watch brand, and a golf apparel company. She earned more money in a single golf weekend than many WNBA players do in a lifetime. It serves as a clear reminder that she is valuable in ways other than basketball. Her brand is a movement, and she is a “face of sports entertainment.”
She continued to sign autographs for all of the children who had waited as the sun set on the event, long after everyone else had left. She chuckled when a reporter inquired about her experience breaking a record on her first attempt. “I had no idea what the record was.”
That’s what Caitlin Clark is all about. Moments chase her, not the other way around. She simply is, and she has no intention of becoming the face of women’s sports. With a modest smile, she entered a golf course, broke a record, gained the utmost respect from Tiger Woods, and closed millions of dollars in deals. She served as a reminder to everyone that transcendent talent knows no bounds. She also left her own league with a challenging, lingering question: Why are some of you still avoiding her if greatness is chasing you?
