Before Caitlin Clark astir made an ace that went viral connected TikTok, nan WNBA megastar had a instruction pinch Martha Foyer-Faulconer.
The Crooked Stick pro, who played connected nan LPGA from 1987 to 1995, was amazed by Clark’s expertise to make speedy adjustments.
“Within nan clip we were working, we saw immoderate drastic changes,” said Foyer-Faulconer, who had different instruction pinch Clark connected Wednesday day successful Carmel, Indiana. This clip nan attraction was connected short game. Foyer-Faulconer noticed successful nan TikTok video that Clark was rather tense successful her shoulders.
It’s each portion of a tune-up earlier Clark plays alongside World No. 1 Nelly Korda and LPGA icon Annika Sorenstam astatine nan upcoming Annika driven by Gainbridge astatine Pelican successful Belleair, Florida. Clark will return portion successful nan event’s pro-am connected Nov. 13 and Women’s Leadership Summit nan time anterior astatine nan club.
Last summer, Clark created a frenzy astatine nan John Deere Classic Pro-Am erstwhile she played alongside Zach Johnson and Ludvig Aberg. Johnson called nan Iowa fable “transcendent.”
After nan Indiana Fever were knocked retired of nan playoffs past month, Clark joked that she planned to go a master golfer during nan offseason.
Foyer-Faulconer grew up successful Carmel and won 3 Indiana precocious schoolhouse titles arsenic a golfer, but her first emotion was basketball. In nan LPGA media guide, Foyer-Faulconer listed her favourite infinitesimal successful play arsenic playing hoops pinch Julius Irving. She erstwhile played one-on-one against “Dr. J” during a statement astatine nan tour’s Atlantic City stop.
Needless to say, it’s a thrill for Foyer-Faulconer to activity pinch Clark, who is shopping astir for a play location successful nan Hoosier State. Foyer-Faulconer confirmed that nan 22-year-old is nuts astir nan crippled and described her arsenic a earthy talent. It helps, too, that nan upwind of precocious has been perfect for her to grind.
“It’s besides portion of her DNA,” said Foyer-Faulconer, “because she’s going to do things well. She wants to beryllium arsenic bully arsenic she tin successful everything she touches. She’s very driven and passionate. It’s nosy to activity pinch her.”
On nan instruction tee, Foyer-Faulconer worked first connected Clark’s setup, moving her a spot farther distant from nan ball. The 2024 WNBA Rookie of nan Year was eager to get free of her portion and mostly wanted to lb drivers, telling her coach, “Oh, I conscionable want to termination it.”
Foyer-Faulconer noted that they first needed to get each nan parts moving together successful unison, truthful they began pinch wedges. It wasn’t long, however, earlier Clark had driver backmost successful hand, and location was accelerated improvement.
Foyer-Faulconer said it was almost for illustration pushing a button.
“Some of this worldly you can’t thatch people,” she said. “They conscionable either person it aliases they don’t.”