The WNBA commissioner stepped off the fairway and into a firestorm this weekend. Cathy Engelbert, who has led the league since 2019, posted a score that even a weekend hacker would cringe at during the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe South. The annual celebrity golf tournament uses a modified Stableford scoring system, where players earn points for birdies and pars but lose points for double bogeys and worse. Engelbert finished tied for 86th place out of 89 golfers, with a final tally of -54 points. Yes, that’s a negative number, and in this format, it’s as ugly as a shanked drive into the woods.
To put that in perspective, former tennis star Mardy Fish won the event with +72 points. NHL veteran Joe Pavelski finished with 66, and Golden State Warriors icon Steph Curry posted 59. Engelbert’s final score tied her with actor Ray Romano. The only two competitors she managed to beat were Rich Eisen and John O’Hurley. Not exactly a who’s who of golf royalty.
The poor showing on the course came during a weekend when Engelbert was already under fire off it. Dan Patrick, who broadcasts his daily radio show from Lake Tahoe during the tournament, had scheduled an interview with the commissioner. But at the last minute, she backed out. Patrick didn’t mince words on air, calling the no-show disrespectful and saying, “If you want to be treated as a serious league, this is what happens! These are tough questions, but this is a fair outlet for you – a fair platform. I will treat you with respect.”
The criticism didn’t stop there. Jemele Hill, the former ESPN personality, chimed in on social media, writing, “He’s 100 percent right. When Cathy Engelbert used gender as cover when she was asked difficult questions, it came off as small. As commissioner, she’s supposed to set the tone for the league. I don’t think she’s built for the moment the W is in. She should be out front on this and she isn’t. Weak statements aren’t going to cut it.”
The timing couldn’t be worse. The WNBA is dealing with intense scrutiny over how it handles rising stars like Caitlin Clark, and Engelbert has faced calls to be more transparent and assertive. Her decision to avoid Patrick’s interview only added fuel to the fire. It’s a stark contrast to how other sports leaders handle tough questions, and it raises questions about whether she’s the right person to steer the league through its current growth spurt.
Engelbert’s golf game might be the least of her worries, but it’s a fitting metaphor for a commissioner who seems to be struggling to keep up with the pace of the league she oversees. For a deeper dive into the radio no-show drama, check out our full breakdown of Dan Patrick’s blistering critique and the fallout that followed.
Meanwhile, the golf world will remember this tournament for Fish’s victory and Curry’s solid showing, not for the WNBA commissioner’s 86th-place tie. But for Engelbert, it’s another reminder that when you’re in the spotlight, every swing — on or off the course — is under review.
