Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest stars in US sports right now.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes college basketball star lit up the 2024 NCAA Tournament and became the No.1 overall pick in this year's WNBA Draft while breaking jersey sales and attracting record-breaking TV audiences.
4
Elsewhere, world number one golfer Scottie Scheffler won the Masters for the second time last week while Tiger Woods showed he's still one of the game's biggest draws despite being an injury plagued 48-year-old with minimal 72-hole experience over the past few years.
The US has gone potty for golf and female sports stars alike in recent weeks but the cultural clamour for Nelly Korda is yet to reach its zenith.
That could all change this week, however, after trailblazing women's golfer made it an incredible five wins in a row on the LPGA Tour.
The world No.1 triumphed at this week’s Chevron Championship - one of the women's tour's five major championships and the first of the year - finishing on 13 under to win her second major by two shots.
READ MORE GOLF
The American tied Nancy Lopez’s iconic 1978 record of five straight victories on the tour with the win.
25-year-old Korda was already the first woman to win on four consecutive starts since Lorena Ochoa in 2008.
Annika Sorenstam (2005) is the only other player to have won five consecutive LPGA events.
The Florida-native, who won Olympic gold medal at the women's individual golf event in 2021 as well as the Women's PGA Championship, won her first title of the year, the LPGA Drive On Championship, in January.
Most read in Golf
The two-time major champion followed that up with consecutive success at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship, Ford Championship, T-Mobile Match Play and Chevron Championship to leave her on the precipice of Clark-esque superstardom.
4
4
Lopez' historic five-in-a-row run some 46 years ago saw her feature on Sports Illustrated's illustrious front cover, but humble Korda isn't getting carried away with the inevitable bells and whistles that come with sporting greatness.
“That's a great question,” she said of emulating Lopez' Sports Illustrated cover. "I think that it just depends on the opportunities that are brought to you.
Scottie Scheffler's victorious caddie Ted Scott posts hilarious 'is this a dream' video as new Masters champion is spotted at Dallas bar
“If you're playing good golf and you're competing well and people see how much love you have for the game or how much work you put in day in and day out, I think everything comes with results. If you don't have results you're not going to get opportunities. At the end of the day, everything is about results.”
Korda has already attracted countless new fans to women's golf but her impact has not quite yet reached the dizzying heights of the Indiana Fever's new star.
The Fever were the worst team in the WNBA's Eastern Conference last season but won the golden ticket by landing the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft - which they used to select transcendent star Clark.
Ticket sales for Indiana's home games went through the roof ahead of Clark's imminent arrival and now they will be the most-televised team in the WNBA this season.
The Fever will have 36 of their 40 games featured on national television across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 - that's more televised games than the defending champion Las Vegas Aces (35).
4
Clark's marketability is undeniable and, despite a measly WNBA contract, she is set to make millions in endorsements with the likes of Gatorade, Nike and State Farm.
She even crossed over into the world of golf by capturing the attention of Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley.
Ridley was asked about the Korda-Clark comparisons (and discrepancies) and explained that there's something about amateurs rising to the top that just captures the imagination of the broader US audience.
“I have to confess that, in spite of my love of the game and the women’s game of golf, I haven’t watched a lot of women’s basketball, but I watched the last three or four games that Iowa played this year," Ridley said.
"So there you go. I mean, it’s just the way she plays, the way Caitlin plays the game, her passion, her energy, it just — it really just captures the imagination of the fans."
Ridley added that it might take a 'unicorn' amateur golfer, rather than an established pro like Korda, to take the women's game stratospheric.
"There’s something about, even with all the change in rules and NIL and transfer portal, but amateur athletes just have an appealing characteristic to me. And particularly the young ones,” he said.
Korda evidently has some way to go to capture the zeitgeist and prove she has major mainstream appeal like Clark.
But a second-major title this week has seen Korda reach prime Tiger Woods levels of dominance and cemented her status as the pre-eminent force in women's golf - and maybe even women's sport.
For Korda, though, the focus remains the same.
The American insists that competing and inspiring the next generation of golfers are her two biggest concerns right now and everything else is just a distraction.
"I just love competing," Korda said ahead of the Chevron Championship this week. "I love golf, I hopefully am inspiring the next generation.
"But there is no greater thrill for me than competing and being out here and seeing the girls and going head-to-head for a title.
When asked if she feels any pressure to elevate the LPGA to an entirely new level, much like Clark has done for women's college basketball, she said: “No, never any burden when it comes to this. I just hope I show people how much I enjoy being out here week in and week out competing against all the girls, practising, and hopefully that drives more attention to us.
Read More on talkSPORT
“Obviously with the run I've been on, maybe there are more eyes on me, but I always am very grateful for this because I know how fast something can be taken away from you.
"So I hope that people see who I am, my true self and that inspires them, too.”