It’s Sunday at The Masters, and Caitlin Clark is sitting in a green fold-up chair on the 18th green. We’re a few hours away from Rory McIlroy’s invigorating win, and three days into Clark’s first experience with the storied golf tournament.
It’s a nice break for Clark. As one of today’s most popular athletes, the Indiana Fever guard and WNBA Rookie of the Year saw her life change practically overnight when she burst on the scene as one of the best NCAA women’s basketball players ever. In the years since, she’s appeared on Saturday Night Live, in a box with Taylor Swift at the NFL playoffs, and was TIME’s Athlete of the Year. So, in other words, the Iowa native can’t really go anywhere without much fanfare these days.
That is, except for The Masters. Augusta National Golf Club, where the tournament takes place each April, has a strict no cell phone and cameras rule during the four days of official competition. Pull one out of your bag, and you’re immediately banned from the course for life. For someone like me, who’s used to documenting everything and loves taking pictures, it’s absolute torture. For Caitlin Clark, it’s a bit of a dream come true.
“No one has phones, everyone’s present,” she told ESPN host Laura Rutledge during a sit-down interview at the Mercedes-Benz 1886 Club over Masters weekend (Mercedes-Benz is a Champion Partner of the Masters Tournament). “That’s what makes this whole experience so unique and peaceful. You’re soaking it in, enjoying the moment.”
For someone who is used to cellphones in her face, it’s like getting a piece of normalcy back.
So, what’s it like then when patrons spot the superstar athlete roaming the grounds of Augusta National? “They just kind of do double takes, like they’re confused for a second,” she said. “They kind of don’t know what to do, but it’s fun because they just come up and want to shake your hand and have a normal personal interaction with you, which I think is really unique. You don’t always get that.”
In fact, Clark pointed to other famous singers, celebrities, and athletes (including Mercedes-Benz ambassador and tennis legend, Roger Federer) she saw over the weekend who were experiencing the same freedom, noting they could go about life “as a normal fan” of the sport. “I think that’s what makes it so unique and so fun for all of us. More than anything, it’s just really peaceful.”
Attending The Masters was a bucket list experience that Clark, an avid golfer, had been looking forward to for years. And she came this year as guest of Mercedes-Benz, a brand with a long history of empowering female athletes and drivers. Clark was able to bring her entire family as well. “You can think you’re preparing for it, but there’s really no way to prepare for it when you walk outside, and you’re out there walking around with everybody else,” the athlete said of the experience. “It’s pretty incredible.”