BELLAIR, Fla. — There have been hushed tones and whispers as 6:30 got here and went, as every minute ticked nearer to the 7 a.m. tee time. Was there site visitors? Has anybody seen her? LPGA and event organizers, desirous to see Wednesday go off with out a hiccup, fretted the day would as an alternative start with one.
Then, round 19 minutes earlier than her tee time, Caitlin Clark strolled onto the driving vary on the Pelican Golf Membership. Informal and funky in head-to-toe Nike, an official carrying her bag to the far finish the place cameras had been set as much as doc her first swings. She thinned the primary couple, however quickly sufficient was launching them into the solar because it rose over the tree line. An introduction to her caddie, an insistence to him that she wouldn’t care if a membership was dropped alongside the subsequent 18 holes, and a cart trip later, Clark was standing on the primary tee field at The Annika subsequent to its namesake and Nelly Korda, the No. 1 golfer on the planet — with all the eye on her, a 16 handicap.
That is Caitlin Clark’s regular however one thing extraordinary for this golf event, a crowd that swelled to within the hundreds, following the largest ladies’s basketball star on the planet hit just a little white ball.
“We’ve messaged just a little on Instagram beforehand however to get to spend a while together with her and to see the affect that she has on folks, bringing folks out right here, and to see how wonderful of an affect she is only for sports activities, was actually cool to see firsthand at this time,” Korda stated.
So how is Caitlin Clark’s golf swing?
In a phrase, relatable.
The Athletic despatched a number of movies of her swings throughout Wednesday’s pro-am to golf coach Dana Dahlquist, who works with Bryson DeChambeau, amongst others. Dahlquist’s greatest takeaway was, like quite a lot of amateurs, Clark doesn’t load correctly into her left aspect and doesn’t get the fingers to sq. the membership face early sufficient. So by the point she will get to impression, she has to “arise” to try to strike the ball with a sq. face, which reduces the potential for energy, velocity, and many others.
“For beginner golfers, it’s an attention-grabbing factor that every one golfers that aren’t high-level gamers battle with the identical factor,” Dahlquist stated. “They have a tendency to considerably spin out, are inclined to have the face extra usually and in the event you’re taking classes it’s a superb steadiness between educating your fingers how the membership releases after which studying to get to your left aspect appropriately so you may straighten out your golf ball and make good contact.”
On the identical time, Clark’s elite athleticism and understanding of her physique nonetheless permit her to get better and generate appreciable clubhead velocity. Her first tee shot was on the identical line as Korda’s, and solely round 20 yards behind Korda, averaging 269 yards off the tee this yr. Even when her strategy recreation leaves her left of her goal with a bent to drag her irons, she at all times had the size to get to the inexperienced.
Clark stated she first started taking part in golf with a pink set of junior golf equipment, going to the course in Iowa together with her dad, and watching Rory McIlroy on TV. She’s since upgraded to Callaway, and prematurely of this week (arrange by way of Gainbridge, a title sponsor for this LPGA Tour cease and one in every of Clark’s sponsors) has been taking classes from former LPGA professional Martha Lobby-Faulconer in Indianapolis, Golf Week reported.
Golf and basketball followers swarmed Clark on the finish of her pro-am on Wednesday. (Ray Seebeck / USA Right now Sports activities)
Clark stated following the top of the Indiana Fever’s playoffs she hoped to turn out to be knowledgeable golfer within the offseason. It was a joke taken severely in some quarters, to her shock, however Clark does wish to play aggressive golf — in opposition to her mates, for bragging rights. “That’s what’s been enjoyable about it. It’s difficult,” Clark stated.
Professional golf has often been accused of being too thirsty for consideration from different skilled athletes and celebrities, desirous to convey their youthful vitality and audiences to a sport that skews older. That may result in awkward suits and partnerships that come off as inauthentic.
Clark and the LPGA — that is her second pro-am look, after a 2023 PGA Tour John Deere Basic displaying — will not be that. She is a golfer, casually and comfortably talking the lingo and dropping Pebble Seaside as her bucket record course. She friggin’ cleans the grooves of her irons with a tee as she waits for her subsequent shot.
However she faces distinctive challenges in comparison with the remainder of us, like LPGA execs lining as much as take selfies together with her as she walks up the 18th fairway. Or doing a walk-and-talk up No. 7 with Golf Channel, then instantly having to swing — Clark requested for and acquired a mulligan after chunking her shot 100 yards, and in the end determined she was executed with the outlet after airmailing the inexperienced. “I’m simply the typical golfer. I’m going to hit some good, I’m going to hit some unhealthy. It’s what it’s,” Clark stated.
If something was shocking about Clark’s recreation, it was how the famously aggressive WNBA Rookie of the 12 months may shrug and chuckle off even the worst of photographs — a shanked tee shot on the third gap despatched a portion of the gang ducking for canopy.
Clark performed with Korda on the entrance 9 after which Sorenstam on the again 9. Whereas the previous stated she was extra targeted on preparing for the event and light-weight dialog, the latter did provide Clark some swing ideas.
“It was extra simply tempo. She hits it just a little fast,” Sorenstam stated. “She performed with Nelly on the entrance and Nelly is about energy, so after all once you play with somebody like that you just wish to swing tougher and sooner. Now when it’s windy, I’m like, simply acquired to relax, discover the tempo, and attempt to make it possible for membership face is extra sq. to the goal.”
The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig contributed to this story.
(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photograph: Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Photographs)
