Caitlin Clark's Competitiveness on Golf Course Caught PGA Tour's Attention
Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark's offseason golf escapades have been one of the women's basketball community's most prized storylines.
Getting a chance to watch Clark compete — albeit in a different sport than basketball — in an LPGA Tour pro-am last week and a PGA Tour pro-am a few days ago has brought many fans immense joy.
And according to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and 2023 Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson (who the 22-year-old was paired up with at Wednesday’s RSM Classic pro-am at Sea Island Golf Club), there's a reason to be impressed with what she has shown on the course.
A November 20 article from Golfweek's Tim Schmitt wrote, "Johnson, who has a dozen PGA Tour victories under his belt, played with Clark at the 2023 John Deere Classic and has noticed an improvement in the former University of Iowa star’s golf game.
“She’s a competitor before she is anything else. I witnessed it a year-and-a-half ago when we played but I’ve also witnessed that she’s gotten better. She’s working on her game,” Johnson said in the article.
“It’s a hard game, and it’s not her number one priority, obviously, nor should it be. But she’s amazing. She’s amazing on the court and off.”
The article quoted Monahan saying, "What really struck me was her love of the game. Clearly, her competitive spirit and fire come through. And her ability comes through loud and clear on some of those tee shots. You know, she’s been playing seriously for a year and a half. I’ve never seen someone in a year and a half strike the ball like that. And she’s gonna be playing this game for a long time.
“She’s transcendent. And it’s very clear. Her humility is her superpower and, yeah, it’s pretty cool to see her interact with all these young boys and girls and she’s done a lot for this game, in a short period of time,” he continued.
Jay Manohan applauds Caitlin Clark’s fierce competitive spirit—raising the bar in every game! 🏀🔥 What’s your take on her impact? pic.twitter.com/djzfF2Zrr7
— EssentiallySports (@ES_sportsnews) November 21, 2024
Clark also seemed to be happy with her performance.
"I hit some nice shots today, though,” Clark said in the article.
We have a feeling it won't be long before we see more of Clark on the golf course this offseason.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.