Caitlin Clark to Skip ANNIKA Pro-Am in 2026 After Scheduling Conflict

Caitlin Clark will not be back at the ANNIKA Pro-Am this year, with sources confirming the basketball star is sitting out the 2026 edition because of a scheduling conflict. The news ends a two-year run in which Clark's appearances at the LPGA Tour's event in Belleair, Florida, turned a Wednesday pro-am into one of the most talked-about days on the women's golf calendar. According to an Instagram post by reporter Scott Agness, Clark will miss this year's pro-am, which is scheduled for November 11 at Pelican Golf Club, the day before the ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge tournament begins. Tournament organisers had already signalled the news last month, with Mike Nichols, chief of sponsorship strategy and activation for Group 1001, telling Golfweek on October 1: "She is not going to be playing this year." Clark's presence over the past two years brought a wave of new attention to women's golf, with her rounds alongside stars such as Nelly Korda drawing crowds and cameras that the event had never seen before. The door remains open for a future return, and this year's tournament is still shaping up strongly, with seven of the world's top-ranked golfers expected in a 108-player field competing for a $3.25 million purse. But for 2026 at least, the pro-am will have to do without its biggest crossover draw.