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 visitors? Has anybody seen her? LPGA and match organizers, desperate to see Wednesday go off and not using 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 experience 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 match, a crowd that swelled to within the hundreds, following the largest ladies’s basketball star on the planet hit somewhat white ball.
“We’ve messaged somewhat on Instagram beforehand however to get to spend a while along with her and to see the affect that she has on folks, bringing folks out right here, and to see how superb of an affect she is only for sports activities, was actually cool to see firsthand at the moment,” 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 largest takeaway was, like plenty of amateurs, Clark doesn’t load correctly into her left facet and doesn’t get the arms to sq. the membership face early sufficient. So by the point she will get to impression, she has to “get up” to aim to strike the ball with a sq. face, which reduces the potential for energy, velocity, and so forth.
“For newbie golfers, it’s an fascinating factor that each one golfers that aren’t high-level gamers battle with the identical factor,” Dahlquist stated. “They have a tendency to considerably spin out, are likely to have the face extra typically and when you’re taking classes it’s an excellent steadiness between educating your arms how the membership releases after which studying to get to your left facet appropriately so you’ll be able to straighten out your golf ball and make good contact.”
On the similar time, Clark’s elite athleticism and understanding of her physique nonetheless enable her to recuperate 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 12 months. Even when her method recreation leaves her left of her goal with a bent to drag her irons, she all the time 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 along with her dad, and watching Rory McIlroy on TV. She’s since upgraded to Callaway, and upfront of this week (arrange by Gainbridge, a title sponsor for this LPGA Tour cease and certainly one 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 At this time Sports activities)
Clark stated following the tip of the Indiana Fever’s playoffs she hoped to develop into knowledgeable golfer within the offseason. It was a joke taken severely in some quarters, to her shock, however Clark does need to play aggressive golf — in opposition to her associates, for bragging rights. “That’s what’s been enjoyable about it. It’s difficult,” Clark stated.
Professional golf has sometimes been accused of being too thirsty for consideration from different skilled athletes and celebrities, desperate 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 Traditional displaying — isn’t that. She is a golfer, casually and comfortably talking the lingo and dropping Pebble Seashore 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 professionals lining as much as take selfies along 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 obtained a mulligan after chunking her shot 100 yards, and finally determined she was completed with the opening after airmailing the inexperienced. “I’m simply the common 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 stunning about Clark’s recreation, it was how the famously aggressive WNBA Rookie of the Yr may shrug and snicker off even the worst of pictures — 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 match and light-weight dialog, the latter did supply Clark some swing ideas.
“It was extra simply tempo. She hits it somewhat fast,” Sorenstam stated. “She performed with Nelly on the entrance and Nelly is about energy, so after all whenever you play with somebody like that you simply need to swing more durable 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; Picture: Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Photographs)