CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO | Wyndham Clark was 3 years old, according to the stories he’s been told, when his mother stopped by a now extinct Denver golf course to burn off some of his energy and he discovered golf, banging range balls until he was tired.
It has hardly been a straight line from his days as a toddler to playing in the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship this week at Castle Pines Golf Club, but Clark’s Colorado blood runs deep. While Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele will start the second FedEx Cup playoff event as the players to chase down, Clark is more than a sentimental story this week.
Clark still sits fifth in the world rankings and sixth in FedEx Cup points. He has rediscovered the form and feelings that produced three wins in nine months, including the 2023 U.S. Open, before a midseason flat spot stalled his momentum.
On the edge of the Rocky Mountains which sit sun-splashed in the distance, the 30-year-old Clark may be perched on the edge of another big moment at a spot where he watched his PGA Tour favorites play in the International before his 10th birthday.
“I grew up coming to this place and always dreamt of playing this tournament,” Clark said. “When they stopped playing here [in 2006], it was kind of a stab to the heart for me because it was so fun coming out and watching it. To be back here playing in front of my home crowd is pretty special.”
When Clark shot an almost unthinkable 60 at Pebble Beach in the third round to win the weather-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, Scheffler and Schauffele had not yet begun their remarkable runs. Clark was the one who seemed ready for a rocket ride.
As Scheffler and Schauffele dominated the spring and summer, Clark found himself losing ground by trying to keep pace with them.
“I just got too much into winning and trying to break through and win in some of those big events. Then I got away from everything that made me successful.” – Wyndham Clark
Clark, who has worked closely with sports psychologist Julie Elion, built his breakout success on a process, less focused on the results and more intent on building mental routines. Earlier this year, Clark said, he found himself chasing the scoreboard, trying to keep up, rather than staying true to his process.
“I just got too much into winning and trying to break through and win in some of those big events,” he said. “Then I got away from everything that made me successful.”
He missed the cut at the Masters, the PGA Championship and the Memorial, and he tied for 56th at the U.S. Open. After sneaking in a couple of backdoor top-10 finishes, Clark missed the cut at the Open Championship where he and Royal Troon didn’t mesh.
By the time Clark got to the Olympics in Paris, where he played his first three holes in 4-over-par on his way to an opening 75 that put him 56th in a 60-player field, people were talking about him but for the wrong reasons.
How was it, some asked, that Clark was playing for the United States in Paris and Bryson DeChambeau, the reigning U.S. Open champion and runner-up in the PGA Championship, was not? It came down to the Official World Golf Ranking, which worked against DeChambeau, who had few chances to accumulate points playing on the LIV Golf tour.
Even Clark, who tries to stay away from social media, heard it.
“I only heard it at the Olympics because some people were talking about it and I overheard it,” Clark said.
Already, though, Clark was feeling like his old self again.
“I was really bummed with that first day. But I played amazing golf. Even that back nine on that first day, I just hit it in the water and missed a couple of short putts. Otherwise, it probably would have been an even-par or a 1-under round, and we might be talking about a bronze medal if that back nine was a little bit different. Then obviously I played great the last three days,” said Clark, who finished 14th, six shots shy of the podium after shooting 68-65-65 the final three rounds.
“That definitely was a huge confidence boost for me because I know there was a lot of media talk about me being there and how bad I played and whatnot, and I wanted to prove to myself and my country that I’m a top American player.
“I played awesome golf. I don’t think anyone other than maybe Scottie [who won the gold medal] played better golf than me those last three days.”
Clark shot 64 on Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee, for a T7 finish, and he is back home feeling encouraged.
“Obviously, I want to do great. I want to perform in front of my home crowd. But at the same time, there is a lot of expectation put on me and a lot of pressure.” – Wyndham Clark
He has played Castle Pines more than any player in the field, but how much that matters remains to be seen. Clark has been inundated with ticket requests to the point he has had to limit his handouts to close friends and family.
It’s been 18 years since the PGA Tour played at Castle Pines and 10 years since the BMW Championship was played up the road at Cherry Hills.
For Clark and for Denver, this moment has been a long time coming. A lifetime, in Clark’s case.
“Expectations, I’m trying to put zero,” he said. “Obviously, I want to do great. I want to perform in front of my home crowd. But at the same time, there is a lot of expectation put on me and a lot of pressure.
“I’m trying to just enjoy it more than anything. We might not come back here for a long time, so I really just want to soak it in. If I play great, awesome; if not, I know I’m going to next week,” he said of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings who will qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. “I’m really just trying to enjoy the moment.”