Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark isn’t just one of the best basketball players in the WNBA today. She also happens to have a pretty mean swing on the golf course.

The 22-year-old, though, is not your typical casual golfer. In fact, she’s set to take part in her first pro-am golf tournament on Wednesday as she tees up with other professional and amateur players in The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Bellair, Florida. This includes the tournament’s host, Annika Sorenstam, as well as world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who will be pairing up with Clark.

Clark’s arrival on the golf scene has been met with some cynicism from the fans. This issue was discussed by the hosts of NBC’s “Golf Today” show. Apparently, some “cynical golf fans” have had qualms about the “saturation coverage of celebrities around golf” over the past several years.

However, award-winning golf reporter Beth Ann Nichols begs to differ. She believes that Clark’s participation is going to be “really impactful” to the sport in general as the veteran journalist issued a blunt message to anyone who isn’t too happy to see Clark on the golf course

“Absolutely,” Nichols said. “I can’t remember a time I was this excited for a Pro-Am. I plan to be out there at 6 a.m. to watch the warm-up session.”

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever

© Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Nichols also pointed out that fans are going to get a rare chance to see a different side of Clark now that she won’t be playing in a fast-paced basketball game.

“We’re going to get so many hours to watch her up close,” Nichols continued. “See how she interacts with fans, see how she reacts to good and bad shots, how she interacts with the LGPA players and other members of the pro-am group.

“I think it’s going to be a unique opportunity for fans of Caitlin Clark to see her in another light, and I can’t wait to see how many young kids and families are out there.”

“I think it’s going to be a unique opportunity for fans of Caitlin Clark to see her in another light, and I can’t wait to see how many young kids and families are out there.”

Clark has had an unprecedented impact on the growth of the WNBA as fandom continues to grow around the 6-foot guard. She won’t be converting her entire following into golf fans just because of a single pro-am tournament, but surely, the exposure won’t hurt.

At the end of the day, The Annika pro-am, and in turn, the sport of golf, is still about to experience the famed Caitlin Clark effect.