Before Caitlin Clark nearly made an ace that went viral on TikTok, the WNBA megastar had a lesson with Martha Foyer-Faulconer.
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The Crooked Stick pro, who played on the LPGA from 1987 to 1995, was amazed by Clark’s ability to make quick adjustments.
“Within the time we were working, we saw some drastic changes,” said Foyer-Faulconer, who had another lesson with Clark on Wednesday afternoon in Carmel, Indiana. This time the focus was on short game. Foyer-Faulconer noticed in the TikTok video that Clark was quite tense in her shoulders.
It’s all part of a tune-up before Clark plays alongside World No. 1 Nelly Korda and LPGA icon Annika Sorenstam at the upcoming Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican in Belleair, Florida. Clark will take part in the event’s pro-am on Nov. 13 and Women’s Leadership Summit the day prior at the club.
Last summer, Clark created a frenzy at the John Deere Classic Pro-Am when she played alongside Zach Johnson and Ludvig Aberg. Johnson called the Iowa legend “transcendent.”
After the Indiana Fever were knocked out of the playoffs last month, Clark joked that she planned to become a professional golfer during the offseason.
Foyer-Faulconer grew up in Carmel and won three Indiana high school titles as a golfer, but her first love was basketball. In the LPGA media guide, Foyer-Faulconer listed her favorite moment in golf as playing basketball with Julius Irving. She once played one-on-one against “Dr. J” during a party at the tour’s Atlantic City stop.
Needless to say, it’s a thrill for Foyer-Faulconer to work with Clark, who is shopping around for a golf home in the Hoosier State. Foyer-Faulconer confirmed that the 22-year-old is nuts about the game and described her as a raw talent. It helps, too, that the weather of late has been ideal for her to grind.
“It’s also part of her DNA,” said Foyer-Faulconer, “because she’s going to do things well. She wants to be as good as she can in everything she touches. She’s very driven and passionate. It’s fun to work with her.”
On the lesson tee, Foyer-Faulconer worked first on Clark’s setup, moving her a bit farther away from the ball. The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year was eager to get rid of her slice and mostly wanted to pound drivers, telling her coach, “Oh, I just want to kill it.”
Foyer-Faulconer noted that they first needed to get all the parts working together in unison, so they began with wedges. It wasn’t long, however, before Clark had driver back in hand, and there was rapid improvement.
Foyer-Faulconer said it was almost like pushing a button.
“Some of this stuff you can’t teach people,” she said. “They just either have it or they don’t.”