A throng of black and gold lined the ropes on every hole.
From young boys and girls donning No. 22 jerseys to parents and grandparents wearing Iowa Hawkeye T-shirts, they all wanted to get a glimpse of Caitlin Clark.
This was no ordinary Wednesday pro-am at the John Deere Classic.
As the University of Iowa women’s basketball star walked off the fifth green and headed toward the sixth tee box at TPC Deere Run, there were already hundreds of spectators tracking her every move before 10 a.m.
The crowds were similar in size to what you would witness with a top-tier player in the final pairing come Sunday afternoon on the PGA Tour.
Among the mass of people, a gentleman turned and said: “It’s like (Michael) Jordan and Kobe (Bryant) are playing together.”
Regardless where Clark goes these days — Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a Triple-A Iowa Cubs game in Des Moines or on the golf course about an hour from the Iowa campus — she is the main attraction.
“She’s a rock star,” said 23-year-old Swede Ludvig Aberg, who is making his fourth professional start this week and played the opening nine holes in the pro-am with Clark. “I was just a passenger today, but it was really cool to be part of it.
“It is amazing to see how she holds up.”
With the exception of actor and comedian Bill Murray in 2015, no pro-am at Deere Run has attracted so many fans.
Tournament director Andrew Lehman said concession sales were way up and early indications were this was just as successful as Murray’s appearance.
Zach Johnson, a native Iowan, current United States Ryder Cup captain and beloved in this part of the country, replaced Aberg as the pro on the back nine with Clark’s group. He had no trouble playing second fiddle to Clark.
Johnson received a nice applause during his introduction on the 10th tee. It was a thunderous ovation for Clark.
Johnson called Clark “transcendent” multiple times during his press conference afterward.
The two-time major champion and former JDC champion shared a story about Clark’s national appeal. At the start of Masters week in April, Johnson was at Augusta National to hand out awards at the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.
“The buzz around Augusta National was the game coming up that afternoon,” Johnson said, referencing the Iowa-LSU national championship game in Dallas that attracted almost 10 million viewers.
“I’m a fan of the state and those that excel at a high level … I’m more of a fan of the way she and specifically the way Lisa (Bluder) and her team, Jan (Jensen) and her team, go about everything else. It’s off the court that makes it easy to be a fan.”
After about every hole, the national women’s basketball player of the year stopped to sign autographs and pose for photos.
Teryn Lukes, an 18-year-old from Lime Springs, Iowa (located in the northeast corner of the state), drove 3 1/2 hours with her mother and younger brother to see Clark.
Lukes had her gold Nike sneakers, which she received as a high school graduation gift from her uncle recently, signed by Clark. About 20 minutes later, Lukes was still glowing.
“These shoes are going to end up hanging on a wall and mounted somewhere,” Lukes said. “Probably in our house. Got to keep them safe.”
The Lukes became season-ticket holders for women’s basketball for the first time last year. The family just renewed their tickets for next season this week.
“She makes (basketball) a whole different level of entertainment,” Lukes said. “I don’t think we would have gotten season tickets if she didn’t play.
“So when we found out she was doing this, it was a no-brainer that we were coming.”
Clark gave her audience plenty of good golf shots in the opening six holes, including piping her drive down the middle of the first fairway. She nearly holed out off the green on another hole on the opening nine.
As the round progressed, playing in sweltering July humidity, Clark had some not-so-good shots and admitted she could have used a sub on the back nine.
“I had a really good time,” Clark said. “I thought I did a little better on the front nine. I wasn’t as tired. Kind of got really tired on the back nine, but it was really fun.
“I appreciate all the Hawkeye fans that were out there today. A lot of people that support the Hawks, support women’s basketball, so that was super cool to see. I was just enjoying this because it’s different for me. This is a little out of my comfort zone, so I just tried to have fun with it.”
Jensen, Iowa’s associate women’s basketball coach, said Clark was especially nervous coming in about teeing off in front of a large gathering.
Clark took a few golf lessons and played more golf in recent weeks to gear up for the pro-am.
“Everybody knows her day job is hoops, but she’s just really competitive and doesn’t want to fail them,” Jensen said. “I was so proud of her.
“The greatest are wired differently. She is on a different plane when it comes to how she’s wired.”
It was a clear victory for everyone on the tournament’s Youth Day.
Clark relished the unique opportunity. Her faithful fans departed with autographs, photos and plenty of memories. The JDC won financially.
“More than anything else, this was about enjoying the experience,” Clark said. “I was trying to make as much time as I could to sign an autograph, give them a ball or a high-five because that goes a long way.”
Aberg was impressed.
“It is pretty cool how much she inspires all the people close to her and this area,” he said. “She’s a freak athlete.
“It was fun to be part of it.”
