Every PGA Tour player, whether they have won 15 major championships or are a rookie, will eventually confront the difficult circumstances of becoming the first person to win at the top level of the sport.
On Sunday at the Wells Fargo Championship, Wyndham Clark will be facing that situation. The fifth-year Tour veteran is nearly there.
He started the final round of the 2021 Bermuda Championship one shot behind the lead and lost a playoff there. At the 2019 Honda Classic, he had a one-stroke lead going into the final turn before a final-round 72 put him into a tie for eighth place.
With top-10 finishes in three of his previous five events on the Tour, including a third-place finish at the Zurich Classic last month partnering Beau Hossler, he has also been on an excellent rampage recently.
All those memories will undoubtedly come flooding back when he begins to play on Sunday afternoon at Quail Hollow Club, leading by two strokes over Xander Schauffele after a faultless 63 on Day 3.
“I can’t wait to see how I respond under pressure tomorrow. It will be a good challenge. I have one of the top players in the world right behind me, along with a number of other excellent players, so it will undoubtedly be tough. Simply put, I’m eagerly anticipating the challenge tomorrow.” Clark said.
Because he has trained himself to be his own best friend over the past year, Clark was able to say the correct things that needed to be said.
That was not always the case.
He noted that the previous season was difficult, and as a result of his team’s ultimatum, he committed himself to a better strategy. Due to this, the championship game is, at least in Clark’s mind, a chance rather than a responsibility. But for a player who is gunning for his first Tour triumph, self-help can only go so far.
“People complain that these players don’t finish strong, but finishing 72 holes takes a lot of work, whether you’re on the PGA Tour or playing four consecutive rounds at home. To play golf well, you need a lot of talents,” said Hossler, who is aware of the difficulties involved in achieving a breakthrough victory on the Tour.
“You’ll have 18 incredibly challenging holes to complete, so the trick is simply getting through them. You are aware that you won’t be “on” for 72 holes. Players stay in the competition if they maintain their composure even when things are not going well, and it appears that the finest players in the world are capable of doing so.” said Hossler, who has learned firsthand the challenges of a breakthrough victory on Tour.
With just three bogeys this week and a new 54-hole score record (197), the first 54 holes haven’t exactly been difficult for Clark. He ranks among the top 5 in terms of strokes gained from tee to green, approach to green, and putting. On Day 3, he came up just short of a perfect 18-for-18 card in greens in regulation when his second shot towards the 18th hole made its way into the first cut.
Although Clark has been dominant in three rounds, a first victory can have a cumulative effect, especially in the Wells Fargo Championship, a prestigious competition featuring six of the top 10 players in the world ranking and a $20 million reward.
“Everything has become increasingly greater, and now that we’ve participated in designated events, it’s especially important if you’re hoping to win your first prize at one. It’s never easy to win out here, much less your first one, so it felt the same way when I won the first. If you can maintain your composure, things go right, and you successfully cross the finish line. That may be easier said than done, but that’s roughly how it felt.” Adam Scott said.
Scott’s opinion is straightforward, which Clark would probably like. After all, he’s on a mission to eliminate the negative in his life, so if Sunday is going to be his day, he’ll need to make things as straightforward as he can.
