Two high-profile names from different worlds will share the spotlight this November at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever guard, will return for her second appearance in the Pro-Am portion of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.
She will join Kai Trump, the granddaughter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, in the main LPGA Tour field.
Clark, 23, enters the event as both a rising global sports icon and an established ambassador for Gainbridge, the tournament’s title sponsor.
After signing a reported $28 million endorsement deal earlier this year, she continues to expand her profile beyond basketball.
Clark missed much of the 2025 WNBA season due to injury but remained central to the Indiana Fever‘s playoff run and to the broader growth of the women’s game.
Her participation at The ANNIKA will mark another step in her off-court brand development.
“I had an amazing time at The ANNIKA last November and participating in the Pro-Am alongside Nelly Korda and Annika Sorenstam,” Clark said in a statement.
“I’m honored to work with a company like Gainbridge that is dedicated to advancing women’s sports. I can’t wait to return to Tampa Bay in November to play in the Pro-Am with the best women golfers in the world.”
Tournament organizers have described Clark‘s return as an important bridge between elite women’s sports. Mike Nichols, Group 1001‘s Chief of Sponsorship Strategy, emphasized that her participation continues the event’s mission to elevate visibility and engagement across sporting disciplines.
Trump’s PGA debut and expanding the field
While Clark‘s inclusion reinforces her crossover appeal, the event will also serve as a debut for Kai Trump, who received a sponsor’s exemption to compete in the main LPGA tournament.
A senior at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump is committed to joining the University of Miami women’s golf team in 2026.
She has been active on junior and amateur circuits, including the American Junior Golf Association and the South Florida PGA‘s Srixon Medalist Tour.
Trump called the invitation a milestone in her development. “My dream has been to compete with the best in the world on the LPGA Tour, and I am thrilled to be able to play at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican,” she said.
“This event will be an incredible experience, and I look forward to meeting and competing against so many of my heroes in golf.”
A triumph for women’s golf?
Pelican Golf Club officials said Trump‘s selection reflects the LPGA‘s commitment to highlighting emerging athletes and broadening the sport’s reach.
Justin Sheehan, the club’s Director of Golf, described her as “a young player with a strong passion for the game and growing influence among new audiences.”
The ANNIKA, scheduled for November 12-16, 2025, has become a leading event on the LPGA calendar, honoring Hall of Famer Annika Sörenstam.
With Clark representing basketball’s crossover into golf and Trump marking her first professional appearance, the tournament will bring together two distinct stories of ambition and representation within women’s sport.
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