Caitlin Clark's Honest 6-Word Golf Vow Recalls Painful Fan Experience
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark spent much of her last WNBA offseason on the golf course. Her most notable appearance came when she participated in an LPGA Golfing Pro-Am competition that was hosted at Florida's Pelican Golf Club last November, which was called "The Annika" (because of the host, Annika Sorenstam).
Clark sat alongside Summit on a panel for a LPGA Women's Leadership Summit conversation one day before competing. When Clark was asked what her lowest round is, she said, "Oh, god. I can get into the mid-80s if I'm lucky. But usually, I'm just praying to break 100.
"I just don't want to hit anyone with a golf ball. That's my number one priority," Clark then added.
Caitlin said she set herself up for failure jokingly about becoming a professional golfer. She says she can shoot 80 but mostly she’s just praying to stay under 100. Her goal is to not hit anyone 😭 pic.twitter.com/sG5KgNYFuk
— correlation (@nosyone4) November 12, 2024
This last comment proved to be foreshadowing. During her drive on the 9th hole of the Pro-Am, Clark shanked a shot that prompted her to say, "That might've hit someone" after hitting it. As it turns out, the stray shot did hit a spectator named Tracy Culbert on the shoulder, which left a nasty bruise.
Culbert was fine, despite the bruise. She even posted a TikTok showing off the bruise and saying, "I didn't expect to give Caitlin Clark an assist. Her goal was not to hit a fan - whoopsie! The quick-witted Clark remarked, 'Thanks for the good kick, whoever it hit.' And signed the ball, leaving me with a unique story and a keepsake."
the lady caitlin hit made a tiktok😭😭 pic.twitter.com/4ktvK7CZE6
— jayda🪼 (@JaydaToe70214) November 15, 2024
Caitlin Clark's Vow Upon Return to Golf Competition Turns Heads
On October 16, The Athletic published an article that quoted Clark as saying, “I had an amazing time at The Annika last November and participating in the Pro-Am alongside Nelly Korda and Annika Sorenstam, two of the best in the game. I’m honored to be an ambassador for a company in Gainbridge that is so committed to elevating women’s sports. I can’t wait to return to Tampa in November to play in the Pro-Am with the best women golfers in the world.”
While Clark is clearly excited about returning to the Pro-Am, she also seems a little bit concerned about shanking a shot and hitting a fan for a second straight year. This was shown by an Instagram story she had on Wednesday that showed a photo of her last year's competition.
The story was captioned, "will try not to hit anyone 🙏".
At least Clark feels comfortable joking about potentially hitting another fan. Then again, she did the same last year, and her joke turned into reality.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever 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.
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