Caitlin Clark might have taken the WNBA by storm in her rookie year but she doesn’t appear confident of doing the same on her LPGA debut. On Wednesday, the 22-year-old will play in the Pro-Am of the The ANNIKA Driven tournament at Gainbridge, Pelican, lining up alongside the world’s leading female golf stars.
And the Indiana Fever point guard will be in esteemed company, teeing off with world No.1 Nelly Korda and event organiser Annika Sorenstam, an icon of the sport.
Clark was in a relaxed mood as she attended the LPGA Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, despite revealing her primary fear about being involved.
“I’m strong, and I can hit it. It just doesn’t usually go straight,” she admitted, when asked about her game. “I mean sometimes it goes straight, but it depends. You just step up there and you hope for the best.
“I can get in the mid 80s if I’m lucky but usually I’m just praying to break 100. I’m a good sport about it, I just don’t want to hit anyone with a golf ball. That’s my number one priority.”
Clark currently plays off a handicap of 16, and has vowed to use the off-season to get down to single figures. In the build-up to the Pro-Am, she has taken lessons from LPGA teaching professional, Martha Foyer-Faulconer.
And her teacher duly praised her dedication to trying to improve, arguing she showed the same traits on the golf course as she did on the court. “She is just as attentive on the golf course as she is on the basketball court,” she said. “It is part of her DNA.”
On Tuesday, Clark also spoke openly about why she relished the challenge of her new hobby. “It’s so different to basketball and that’s why I love it,” she said. “It’s individual, it’s a challenge, especially mentally. That’s what’s so beautiful about golf.”
