Caitlin Clark’s morning on the LPGA Tour: Shanked shots, pure drives and so many fans
BELLAIR, Fla. – There were hushed tones and whispers as 5:30 came and went, as each minute drew closer to the 7 a.m. start time. Was there traffic? Has anyone seen her? LPGA and tournament organizers, eager to see Wednesday go off without a hitch, worried the day would start with one instead.
Then, about 19 minutes before her tee time, Caitlin Clark walked onto the driving range at Pelican Golf Club. Casual and cool in Nike from head to toe, an official carried her bag to the far end where cameras were set up to document her first swings. She thinned out the first pair, but soon launched them into the sun as it rose above the tree line. An introduction to her caddy, an insistence to him that she didn’t care if a club fell along the next 18 holes, and a cart ride later, Clark stood on the first tee box of The Annika next to his namesake and Nelly Korda. , the No. 1 golfer in the world – with all the attention on her, a handicap of 16.
This is normal for Caitlin Clark, but something extraordinary for this golf tournament, a crowd that grew to thousands after the world’s greatest women’s basketball player hit a small white ball.
“We did some messaging on Instagram beforehand, but to spend some time with her and see the impact she has on people, bringing people here, and seeing how great an influence she is just in the area of sports, was great. Really cool to see it with my own eyes today,” Korda said.
What is Caitlin Clark’s golf swing like?
In one word: recognizable.
The Athletics sent several videos of her swings during Wednesday’s pro-am to golf coach Dana Dahlquist, who works with Bryson DeChambeau, among others. Dahlquist’s biggest point was that Clark, like many amateurs, doesn’t load well into her left side and doesn’t get the hands to square the club face early enough. So by the time she hits the ball, she has to ‘stand up’ to try to hit the ball with a square face, which reduces the chance of power, speed, etc.
“For amateur golfers, it’s interesting that all golfers who are not high-level players struggle with the same thing,” Dahlquist said. “They tend to spin out a bit, they tend to face more often and when you take lessons it’s a good balance between teaching your hands how to release the club and then learning to face your club properly left side so you can straighten your hands. golf ball and make good contact.”
At the same time, Clark’s elite athleticism and understanding of her body means she can still recover and generate significant clubhead speed. Her first tee shot was on the same line as Korda’s, and only about 20 yards behind Korda, which was an average of 269 yards off the tee this year. Even if her approach game leaves her left of her target with a tendency to pull her irons, she always had the length to reach the green.
Clark said she first started playing golf with a pink set of junior clubs, going to the course in Iowa with her father and watching Rory McIlroy on TV. She has since upgraded to Callaway, and before this week (established through Gainbridge, a title sponsor for this LPGA Tour stop and one of Clark’s sponsors) she has been taking lessons from former LPGA professional Martha Foyer-Faulconer in Indianapolis, Golf week reported.
Golf and basketball fans flocked to Clark at the end of her pro-am on Wednesday. (Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports)
Clark said she hoped to become a professional golfer this offseason after the Indiana Fever playoffs ended. It was a joke that, to her surprise, was taken seriously in some circles, but Clark does want to play competitive golf – to her friends, for bragging rights. “That’s the fun of it. It’s a challenge,” Clark said.
Pro golf is occasionally accused of being too hungry for the attention of other professional athletes and celebrities, eager to bring their youthful energy and audience to a sport that is aging. This can lead to difficult conflicts and partnerships that do not appear authentic.
Clark and the LPGA — this is her second pro-am appearance, following a John Deere Classic appearance on the PGA Tour in 2023 — is not. She’s a golfer, speaks the lingo casually and comfortably, and drops Pebble Beach as her bucket list course. She cleans the grooves of her irons with a tee while waiting for her next shot.
But she faces unique challenges compared to the rest of us, like LPGA pros lining up to take selfies with her as she walks up the 18th fairway. Or doing a walk-and-talk on No. 7 with Golf Channel, then having to swing immediately – Clark asked for and was given a mulligan after crushing her shot 100 yards, ultimately deciding she was done with the hole after hitting the green had vented. “I’m just the average golfer. I’m going to hit some good, I’m going to hit some bad. It is what it is,” Clark said.
If there was anything surprising about Clark’s play, it was the way the famously competitive WNBA Rookie of the Year could shrug his shoulders and laugh off even the worst shots. A tee shot on the third hole sent some of the crowd away. take cover.
Clark played with Korda on the front nine and then with Sorenstam on the back nine. While the former said she was more focused on preparing for the tournament and light conversation, the latter gave Clark some swinging thoughts.
“It was more just pace. She hits it a little fast,” Sorenstam said. “She played with Nelly up front and Nelly is about power, so when you play with someone like that you naturally want to swing harder and faster. Now when it’s windy I just have to calm down, find the pace and try to get the club face more straight on the target.”
The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig contributed to this story.
(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Images)
