
The first time Grant Waite met with Jodi Ewart Shadoff, it rained. He filmed two swings, and they talked about her back pain. Ewart Shadoff, who had missed the cut in eight of her last 10 events, feared her career might be cut short. Waite offered a few swing change suggestions to ease the pain and said he’d see her soon at the LPGA stop in Arkansas.
The first hole at Pinnacle Country Club is on the shorter side, and Waite, a former winner on the PGA Tour, watched Ewart Shadoff knock it to 6 feet from about 70 yards. What happened next made a strong impression.