BELLEAIR, Fla. – Caitlin Clark had just finished a busy day of media obligations Tuesday at Pelican Golf Club, ahead of her LPGA pro-am debut at The Annika piloted by Gainbridge, an Indianapolis-based sponsor of the 22-year-old. years. old Indiana Fever superstar. Most of the professionals had already left the property, but Clark put on some sweatpants, kicked off her high heels and headed straight to the shredding area – barefoot. Under the setting sun, Clark hit hit after hit, some good, some bad. Two unfortunate skulls raced across the 60-yard-long green before finishing just steps away from the glass-windowed media center.
Clark’s top priority this week, she said, was don’t hit anyoneso she took advantage of every last minute opportunity to master her game.
A day later, that goal lasted eight holes – and nearly two – proving that Clark is human after all.
Caitlin Clark at the Annika pro-am: sights and sounds at Pelican Golf Club
Sights and sounds of WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s appearance in the LPGA Annika pro-am.
Playing alongside world No. 1 Nelly Korda in the morning portion of Wednesday’s pro-am, Clark fired her hybrid into a large gallery to the left of the par-3 ninth green. No one was injured and a spectator walked away with it. a signed golf ball (numbered with Clark’s signature #22), maybe a slight bruise and a heckuva story.
Clark got an early start, at 7 a.m. ET, in front of hundreds of fans, many wearing Indiana Fever and Iowa Hawkeye jerseys. A group of about 15 girls from Girls Golf, an initiative of the LPGA and USGA, came, mostly from Miami, to watch Clark and Korda play together. They brought signs and placed them behind each tee box. Many other kids had skipped school for the opportunity to get a glimpse of the WNBA Rookie of the Year.
The format was a disaster, so it didn’t matter that Clark fought with his driver. She found the green with her opening approach and two putts from about 25 feet. But then came the lefts with their irons, not a good recipe on a brutally difficult Pelican layout. In a collection area next to the second green, Clark’s Texas wedge didn’t have enough speed to get on a serious shelf and his ball came back off the putting surface. Clark immediately got his ball back but then questioned his decision as Korda sent his chip across the green and past Clark’s ball.
“I guess I shouldn’t have understood that,” Clark told the gallery.
“Wait for the third hole!” one fan shouted.
“What’s on the third hole?” Should I be afraid? Clark responded playfully.
Moments later, at the par-3 third, Clark nearly missed the ball with his hybrid, overshooting it 45 degrees to the left and seeing it sail just over the heads of fans crowded along the rope line. A few then ran into a nearby bougainvillea bush to retrieve the souvenir. To hell with thorns.
Clark missed the pin at the par-4 fifth with about 40 yards remaining, but then came up with the first of several flashes of genius with her short game, easily the best part of her game that day. As the green moved away from her and then fell in front, Clark showed smooth hands as she carried her third shot to 15 feet. Better yet, she made the putt for par.
“It was great to see how relaxed she was,” Korda said. “Obviously with the media attention she’s received probably over the last two and a half years, you can see how comfortable she is playing in front of a bigger crowd. And she really enjoyed it. You can say it. Like she’s definitely very talented. She picked up the ball very cleanly. She was losing a few shots to the right, but I asked her how many times a week she played, and I think with the number of obligations she has, she probably goes to the golf course once a week. So, playing only once a week, she was playing really well.
On the turn, Korda and Clark exchanged golf balls, and Korda handed Clark to World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, who stuck one on the par-3 12th hole, setting up the only birdie of Clark’s day at 6 feet.
The crowd roars.
This was exactly the scene tournament organizers envisioned when Clark entered the event. Ticket sales are said to have increased 12-fold compared to last year.
“Just we would really see a normal Wednesday,” Sorenstam said. “It’s just great to see how much attention it brings to the tournament.”
Sorenstam broke down Clark’s game a bit, saying Clark had pop off the tee and good momentum in her swing, but struggled with her tempo, which was a bit fast.
“She played with Nelly up front, and Nelly is all about power, so of course when you play with someone like that you want to swing harder and faster. Now when it’s windy I’m like, I just need to calm down, find the tempo and try to make sure the club face is more square to the target. I think it’s more important. Again, for her, there’s a lot going on. I’m not just focusing on my game. She’s trying to be the face of the day.
Sorenstam’s biggest advice to Clark, a handicap of 16, for the future?
“She just needs to play,” Sorenstam said.
Clark chatted with Golf Channel’s Kira K. Dixon on the seventh hole and quickly chipped a 3-wood. She quickly tossed another ball and launched one into the fairway. She laughed through it all. Usually, Clark is the best player in the arena, but on this occasion, it was she who enjoyed the greatness.
“Obviously, seeing them do what they do right off the bat, it feels like people will pay for it. I got to do it for free and have fun with them,” Clark said afterward. “It’s definitely a fun morning. I’m very grateful that Gainbridge invited me here. Obviously their support for women’s sport is huge. Very lucky and lucky. Hanging in there; everything went well. It was a good day.
And with that, Clark signed a few autographs as fans rolled down the hill behind the 18th green before heading to the airport, surely eager to return to a golf course soon.
