Caitlin Clark stars Wednesday at JDC

SILVIS – The biggest draw in women’s college basketball also will be the main golf attraction Wednesday at the John Deere Classic. University of Iowa star Caitlin Clark — the reigning National Player of the Year after leading the Hawkeyes to a national runner-up finish — is participating in both of the traditional pre-tournament events […]

SILVIS – The biggest draw in women’s college basketball also will be the main golf attraction Wednesday at the John Deere Classic. University of Iowa star Caitlin Clark — the reigning National Player of the Year after leading the Hawkeyes to a national runner-up finish — is participating in both of the traditional pre-tournament events at TPC Deere Run in Silvis. Before a special appearance at the Youth Day Clinic Wednesday at 3 p.m., the Des Moines native is showing off her skills — or lack thereof, she joked — in a totally different sport, teeing off in the Pro-Am between 8 and 8:30 a.m. from hole No. 1. Last week, Ms. Clark confessed during a statewide media call that she is terrified about the prospect of being a fish out of water. “I am intimidated,” Ms. Clark said with a smile about playing golf in front of a throng of people. Normally, she said she plays the game alone as a retreat from basketball, where she has packed venues coast-to-coast including the 15,500-seat Carver Hawkeye Arena. Ms. Clark’s long-range shooting, scoring and passing abilities helped draw new fans and a larger-than-ever TV audience to the women’s college game last season. All of that helped make her the projected No.1 WNBA draft choice this spring before she decided to return for her senior season with the Hawks. “I will be probably shaking and really nervous on the first tee,” she said. “(The gallery) should definitely stay behind me in case anything goes wrong. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” All joking aside, Ms. Clark is truthfully looking forward to one major aspect of the Pro-Am round. With the new format featuring amateurs playing nine holes, each with a different pro, Ms. Clark will be joined at the clubhouse turn at No. 10 by fellow Hawkeye home-state hero, Zach Johnson.

A Cedar Rapids native, Mr. Johnson won two majors — both the 2007 Masters and 2015 British Open — in addition to his 2012 JDC victory. The local PGA Tour stop’s longtime board member and supporter also is the current U.S. Ryder Cup captain. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Ms. Clark, who also is the Big Ten Conference’s Female Athlete of the Year.  “Who knows if I'll ever be able to get to do this again and get to play with Zach Johnson, who's probably going to go down as one of the best golfers of all time and is the Ryder Cup captain. That's a really, really big deal, so I'm just lucky and fortunate, and I'm going to try to enjoy it. … I'm going to be asking him all kinds of questions. “Zach's been a huge supporter of our team all throughout this journey. Before this, he would reach out and message me and congratulate me on things. He's not a new fan, so I'm excited to get to meet him in person and share the day with him because he's pretty incredible and a great ambassador for our state.” Ms. Clark said she’s been told to expect an even larger contingent from both Iowa City and Des Moines to follow their pairing. “Hopefully I can hit them straight,” Ms. Clark said. “I'm an OK golfer; I'm not like anything out of this world. I'm probably better than the average female golfer, I guess. If I had more time to play, I'd probably be a little better. “I'm definitely a more fast-paced golfer. I don't have very much patience. It's very different (from basketball), but it's also similar in a lot of ways. The mental aspect of both is way more important than any skill that you have. And I think that's kind of what I've learned over my career in basketball is you have to be much more mentally sharp than you’re physically sharp if you want to perform at the highest level. “That's taken me a lot of time to understand, but I think it's the same on the golf course; you have to keep your focus from shot to shot in both sports. There's going to be a lot of things that don't go your way. It's just how you respond to that. And I think that's kind of how I've matured over the past year — understanding that and just my response to when things aren't going my way and trying to turn it to make it go a different way and make it better.” Belying her fiery nature on the basketball court, Ms. Clark claims to be a much calmer competitor on the golf course. “People probably think I would have done something like that — thrown a club, broke a club,” she said with a laugh. “Never done that. Probably because they're too expensive and I don't have money to buy new ones. If they were a little cheaper, I would probably do that. “I definitely get frustrated if I have a couple bad shots in a row. But that's just part of golf, and it's fun to watch the PGA Tour on TV and you actually see a pro (make a mistake). It makes you feel a little (better). “But I think that's what's so fun about it. It is challenging; it's one of the hardest games on Earth. You're trying to hit a little ball into a hole that's 400 yards away.” Ms. Clark said she often visited the Quad Cities while growing up to play in soccer tournaments. However, this will be her first visit to TPC Deere Run. “(Hawkeye men’s basketball star) Chris Murray just played it the day he got drafted (in the NBA) and he said it was playing pretty hard, so that wasn't good news to hear,” Ms. Clark said. “I heard it's a beautiful course. I'm really excited. It’s a great PGA Tour event and John Deere does a really good job, so I'm sure it'll be really fun.”

Ms. Clark and Mr. Johnson are expected to make a Media Center interview appearance together at the completion of their round at approximately 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. After lunch, Ms. Clark will talk to youngsters at the annual Youth Day Clinic on the driving range at 3 p.m. Wednesday. PGA Tour pro Wesley Bryan is conducting the clinic, which is part of Youth Day Activities sponsored by First Tee of the Quad Cities. Youngsters are reminded not to bring their golf clubs to the course. Youngsters ages 15 and under receive free admission with a paid adult. For families with registered members of the Kids Club, adults will receive half-price tickets to the annual Wednesday activities. Visit johndeereclassic.com/spectators/kids-club# for more information. Otherwise, tickets are $20 and include free parking at assigned tournament lots. Gates open at 6 a.m. with the Pro-Am teeing off at 6:45 a.m. Youth Day begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the John Deere Fan Zone near the green for hole No. 8 and the tee for No. 9. The first 500 youngsters in attendance receive goodie bags with bobbleheads of last year's JDC champion, J.T. Poston, as well as a First Tee hat, coupons and a lunch ticket for the day. 

These lunch tickets may be redeemed near the back of the Clubhouse in the main concession area (the Michelob Ultra Athletic Club) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. Coupons from Youth Day bags must be presented to receive lunch. At 11 a.m. Wednesday, Kids Club members also are invited to an autograph session with a couple of PGA Tour pros behind the Clubhouse in the Autograph Zone. The first round of the 52nd annual John Deere Classic begins at 7 a.m. Thursday, and wraps up Sunday. Golf Channel provides TV coverage of all four rounds, with a worldwide telecast on CBS from about 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. A new “Concerts on the Course” series follows the weekend rounds, with performances from Grammy Award-winning country music stars Darius Rucker (Saturday) and Blake Shelton (Sunday). For tickets and more information, visit johndeereclassic.com.