Wyndham Clark's Confidence Never Wavered, and Now He's a U.S. Open Champion
LOS ANGELES – The club twirl provided a clue. It was bold and confident and audacious. It occurred a bit less than 24 hours before he played the same 18th hole at Los Angeles Country Club with a different kind of assurance, but it spoke volumes about his ability to embrace the moment.
“Be cocky’’ has become Wyndham Clark’s mantra. His caddie, John Ellis, often provided useful reminders.
It paid off on Sunday in the most unexpected of victories when Clark shot a final-round 70 to beat Rory McIlroy by a shot at the U.S. Open.
Of course, it was hardly unexpected to him. Despite a virtually non-existent major championship record, Clark, 29, felt he could perform among the elite. It didn’t matter that he was playing with local crowd favorite Rickie Fowler and feeling the heat from McIlroy or noticing world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler lurking.
“I feel like I belong on his stage,’’ Clark said from, well, a stage that showcased him as the latest major championship winner. “And even two, three years ago when people didn't know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world. I felt like I've shown that this year.
“I've come close, and obviously everyone sees the person that hoists the trophy, but I've been trending in the right direction for a long time now. I've made a lot of cuts. I've had a handful of top 10s and top 20s, and I feel like I've been on a great trajectory to get to this place.’’
Clark won his first PGA Tour event at the Wells Fargo Championship six weeks ago, finishing four strokes ahead of Xander Schauffele. But he had no major championship bona-fides.
Before the U.S. Open, Clark had played in a grand total of six majors, with a best finish of tied for 75th and four missed cuts, including last month at the PGA Championship.
To then shoot scores of 64, 67, 69 and 70 to finish at 270, 10 under par and hold it together is impressive stuff.
“It’s amazing,’’ said John Ellis, Clark’s caddie going back to his first year on the PGA Tour in 2018. “The kid has worked so hard. To come down the stretch and win a golf tournament is amazing. And nobody was really giving us a chance. I was watching all the stuff on TV and it was all about Rory and everybody else and it makes it even more special. I made it a point to let him know.’
Wherever you can get motivation, take it. But the truth is there was no reason to expect Clark to prevail, not with the likes of McIlroy and Fowler and Scheffler in the mix. Their resumes compared with Clark's made discounting him rather simple.
But Clark is one of the longest drivers in the game and he’s learned to manage his short game. He had a couple of stumbles late which gave McIlroy a chance, but the 3-wood he hit from 280 yards at the par-5 14th hole setting up a two-putt birdie from 20 feet gave him a three-shot cushion.
“Probably one of the best shots in USGA history,’’ Ellis said.
Clark met Ellis at the University of Oregon, where he transferred prior to his senior year after starting at college powerhouse Oklahoma State. Ten years ago, while in school, Clarke’s mother, Lise, died after a bout with breast cancer.
That led to obvious struggles which resulted in Clark transferring. Ellis was an assistant coach at Oregon and saw so much potential that he followed the golfer as a caddie into the pro game.
Clark had some nervy moments, such as the bogey putt he made at the eighth hole after running into trouble and nearly needing to take an unplayable lie. He got up and down with some deft chipping work at the ninth and the 11th holes as well, keeping his round and march toward the title intact.
It also didn’t hurt that Fowler, who shot an opening-round 62, didn’t have it on Sunday, when he bogeyed three holes on the front side and finishing with a 75 to drop to a tie for fifth.
McIlroy evoked nightmares from his final round at the Old Course last summer, where he shot a final-round 70 that included hitting every green in regulation but could not make a putt. He finished two strokes behind winner Cam Smith.
At LACC, Sunday’s final round was eerily similar. McIlroy two-putted the first hole for a birdie at the par-5 – and didn’t make another one the rest of the round. At the par-5 14th, his approach buried in the grass just above the bunker, leading to a fortunate free drop but one from which he could not take advantage. The bogey 6 on the same hole that Clark later birdied ultimately was the difference.
“The last real two chances I've had at majors I feel like have been pretty similar performances, like St Andrews last year and then here,’’ McIlroy said. “Not doing a lot wrong, but I didn't make a birdie since the first hole today. Just trying to be a little more, I guess, efficient with my opportunities and my looks.
“Again, overall when you're in contention going into the final round of a U.S. Open, I played the way I wanted to play. There was just a couple of shots, two or three shots over the course of the round that I'd like to have back.’’
Clark made a nice pitch on the 17th hole to save a par and preserve a one-shot lead and then needed to par the 18th to preserve the win. But he flared his drive way to the right, somehow coming to rest in a part of the fairway that was extended. From there, he was able to find the green and two-putt for the victory.
After an emotional embrace with Ellis, Clark got congratulations off the green from several family members who were in attendance.
“I just felt like my mom was watching over me,’’ Clark said at the trophy presentation.
“I was only looking like a nervous wreck because I was so excited,’’ said his sister, Kaitlin. “We were all so calm. We just knew today was his day. It doesn’t even feel surreal because it seems like it was meant to be. This is who he was supposed to be and this is what our mom wanted.
“I think we all felt her today. It’s a way that her legacy is living on through him. She always wanted him to play big, play for her. And that’s what he did this week. And you will hear more from Wyndham Clark.’’
So, even the family has confidence.
And why not? Clark is now a career-best No. 13 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 6 in the Sports Illustrated World Golf Rankings. He moved to No. 2 in the United States Ryder Cup standings.
“Playing big,’’ as his late mother would say and in keeping with the mantra that got him the trophy in the end.