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Caitlin Clark joins Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson for the JDC Pro-Am

On3 imageby:Kyle Huesmann•07/05/23•

HuesmannKyle

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Caitlin Clark and Zach Johnson took part in the JDC Pro-Am.

Caitlin Clark has played in some tense moments in her three seasons in the black & gold. She has hit countless clutch shots, a buzzer beater in front of a soldout Carver-Hawkeye Arena and scored 40+ points in back-to-back NCAA Tournament games. She doesn’t get flustered on the court.

Stepping onto the first tee of TPC Deere Run for the John Deere Classic Pro-Am is a bit different. She must have felt right at home with a good crowd of Hawkeye on the opening hole. Despite trading the orange basketball for a small white golf ball, Caitlin showed no signs of nervousness, as her tee shot split the fairway on the first hole.

“First tee shot went pretty well. It went straight. It was probably one of my better of the day. I wasn’t too nervous. Kind of just don’t waste time. Just go up there and just hit it” said Clark. “I think it’s kind of the same with basketball. You have to kind of settle into the game a little bit. Same here with golf. You have to settle in after the first hole.”

“I think just taking a deep breath, and that’s the same thing with basketball. You know, don’t feel the pressure so much. I think even Zach would say the mental side of basketball or golf is way more important than the physical skill or hitting a shot or hitting the ball. It’s so much more mental.”

While Iowa native and Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson awaited the arrival of Caitlin Clark on the tenth hole, it was 23 year old Swedish amateur Ludvig Aberg that played with her on the front nine. The John Deere Classic will be just the fourth PGA Tour start of his career. Aberg recently finished tied for 25th at the RBC Canadian Open (-7) and tied for 24th at the Travelers Championship (-13).

Aberg tees off at 1:05pm tomorrow with Cameron Young and Nick Hardy.

“He was a great guy, number one. Very soft-spoken, very kind, but I think he said this was just his fourth pro event, which is pretty incredible,” said Clark on her front nine playing partner. “He is going to be a fun one to watch. I’ll definitely keep my eyes on him. He was great. Got us off to a nice start. I think we were 7-under with him and finished it strong with Zach.”

At the turn, Caitlin switched her talented young playing partner for former Masters Champion and Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson. Before she took to the tenth tee, she stopped to sign some autographs for some young fans. It wasn’t inside the designated “autograph areas”, but it was going to be nearly impossible to stop Caitlin from making the young fans days.

“It’s just cool getting to interact with all the young kids that were here today and really enjoy being around them. I used to run around golf courses and want to go to golf events when I was a young kid or basketball events, and it can really change your life if they can have one interaction with you,” said Caitlin. “Just trying to make as much time as I can to sign an autograph for a young kid or give them a ball or give them a high-five because that goes a really long way.”

The crowd grew as Caitlin and Zach made their way through the back nine. Amongst the followers on the fairway behind them was her dad, Connor McCaffery, assistant coach Jan Jensen and her family, as well as others. Jan talked about her connection with Zach, as it goes all the way back to when she coached at Drake and he was a budding star on the Drake golf team.

“When Lisa, I and Jenni Fitzgerald were coaching at Drake, we would sometimes use guys to scrimmage against like we do now and Zach was one of those guys,” said Jensen. “Fast forward all of these years, he remembers that, we remember that. He has been so gracious since we’ve been at Iowa. Very first year we won the Big Ten Tournament. Zach was at a football game (the next year) and he was so elated.”

“This year I’m certain he was running around his house waving the Hawkeye flag when we made it to the Final Four.”

Caitlin said that she is more of a nine or 12 hole golfer and admitted that her play faltered a bit down the stretch as she began to tire, but the experience was more important than the quality of the golf shots that were hit. Both Caitlin and Zach were grateful for the experience.

“What makes it so unique and so special is not many people have this opportunity, and to do it essentially 45 minutes from where I get to play basketball in our state is pretty cool. That’s one of the reasons I’m here,” said Clark. “As many of you know, I’m a big fan of golf. I love to play it and be around it. Every Sunday I usually have the TV on and am watching. Obviously, a big fan of Zach. He is a great guy. That’s what every single person says that has met him. Very deserving to be the Ryder Cup captain.”

“This young lady on my right is transcendent given her talent, but I can’t speak highly enough about how she handles herself, whether it’s in interviews or just the way she goes about her work,” said Johnson. “I’m more of a fan of the way she and specifically the way Lisa and her team, Jan and her team, go about everything else. It’s off the court that makes it easy to be a fan. I’m not surprised because that’s the way the university is, and it’s certainly the way Iowans are in general. I just think that’s the way you handle yourself, with integrity and class. But you work your butt off, and if success comes, you’re going to have fandom. It’s just the way it is.”

Zach Johnson is set to tee off for the 21st time at TPC Deere Run tomorrow. He will hit the first tee at 7:40am with Matt Kuchar and Denny McCarthy. As for the National Player of the Year, Caitlin Clark will travel to Italy and Croatia with the rest of the Hawkeyes for a three-game summer trip in August.

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