– Wyndham Clark was overwhelmed when he finished the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am last Sunday. He did not perform well in a week where he was defending his title. He finished in 73rd place. A superficial reading of his most recent results could be misleading. Since the Open Championship last July, the American from Denver, Colorado, has achieved a 7th place in the FedEx St Jude Championship, an 8th in the Tour Championship, and two more top 15 finishes in the BMW Championship and the Sentry. Not bad. Solid results in major tournaments. However, the other reality is that he hasn’t made a cut since the Genesis Scottish Open. In this new global golf world where tournaments with cuts are unfortunately in danger of extinction, for the comfort and peace of mind of the world’s best players, he had missed the last three (Open Championship, Procore Championship, and American Express). Somehow, this week at TPC Scottsdale was a litmus test. For now, the World Number 7 has taken the lead and breathed a sigh of relief. A step forward.
– However, his attention to journalists after signing the card was even more interesting than his seven birdies without bogeys. He left a good collection of reflections that can serve professional and amateur golfers. It’s Clark’s accelerated manual in four points that relate to strategy and the mental part of the game.
1.- After the disappointment at Pebble Beach, Wyndham, who lives ten minutes from TPC Scottsdale and, therefore, sleeps at home this week, sought refuge in the past. Between Monday and Wednesday, he dusted off old books he read and that helped him before winning the US Open in 2023, as well as some handwritten notes he had kept from then. He refreshed mental concepts. He did a mental reset. “I realised I was having negative thoughts. There are times when you can’t control where the ball ends up and how one swing or another will turn out, but you can control how you think in those situations. You can see the glass half empty or half full. These days I’ve made an effort to see the glass half full again,” he admitted.
2.- That’s the foundation of everything. From that point, he grows. From that point, Clark suggests, it’s easier to make an unexpected long birdie putt or save par on the 17th hole after going into the water off the tee. A good mood helps, at least for him, as there are other players like Viktor Hovland who believe it’s all about technique.
3.- From a strategic point of view, Clark left a couple of lessons. When you’re not brimming with confidence, protect your golf a bit more. That’s what he did in his debut in Phoenix. This is a course where if you play well, you can make birdies, but it can also throw you off if you go for it. “My plan today was to play to the centre of the green whenever I didn’t have a wedge in hand. When I was at wedge distance, then I turned on the green light and was a bit more aggressive.”
4.- Speaking of strategy, how doubts can affect you on a shot. It happened to him on the 17th. “I always hit a draw (right-to-left effect) on that tee. I protect myself on the right (opposite side of the water) and let it close. However, my caddie suggested that if I hit a draw, I would overshoot, so we changed and opted for a straighter shot. Doubts. Bad swing. And into the water,” he explains. “I am clear that the rest of the days I will hit a draw. The important thing is to at least leave yourself an option to make an approach and putt for birdie,” he concludes. By the way, despite going into the water, he saved par. “It was crucial because it’s a hole where you lose a lot to the rest of the players if you make a bogey. Par is not good, but a bogey can be devastating.” He approached seeing the glass half full and left it a finger away.
5.- A technical equipment key. Before starting the tournament, Clark adjusted his irons. He made them half a degree more upright. “That always helps me,” he stated.
– Justin Thomas buys into Clark’s strategy. “It’s not a course to attack. You have to have patience and a good head. A great example was the 5th hole. It’s a hole where you think you can make a birdie because with a good drive you leave yourself a short shot. I missed the drive, the ball position wasn’t good, and I had a tree in front. Yes, with a wedge in hand, but I aimed for the centre of the green, left it 13 metres away, and two putts for par. If I had tried more, I might have gotten into trouble,” he explains. Thomas has started with -5, two shots behind Clark. He has four top 10 finishes in Phoenix without a win. There is no other tournament where he has finished in the top ten more times and not won.
– Jordan Spieth went home happy with his -3. It’s not spectacular, but he takes it and values it coming from two rounds. “I can’t expect to have very good results after six months without competing,” he notes. The key has been to forget about the wrist. Spieth says that at Pebble Beach he was too worried between Thursday and Saturday about whether it would hurt. On Sunday, he stopped those thoughts, and it went much better. He has also changed his putter, but don’t give it more importance than it deserves. “Well, I brought several that I had in my garage at home, and I don’t rule out putting others in play in the coming days. This one is not definitive.”
– There are two amateur players in the tournament. One is the Spaniard Josele Ballester, who is at PAR with two holes left to complete his round, and the other is the American Luke Clanton, the World Number One amateur, who finished with +3. If Clanton makes the cut, he will secure his PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour University. He would already have the necessary points. Similarly, Ballester needs to make the cut to put pressure on David Ford, the current Number One in that university ranking. A nice battle somewhat away from the spotlight.
– Rasmus Hojgaard and Nicolai Hojgaard are playing together on the PGA Tour for the tenth time. American journalists are discovering them now, at least personally. Yesterday they were given the third degree to learn more about their habits, as both are high up in the standings with -3 and -3. Nicolai confessed that he is older by one or two minutes and calmer in character, while Rasmus is more extroverted. Both are living in rented accommodation in Florida. “If I learned anything last year, it’s that it’s good to have a base here for the weeks you don’t play. What better than to share it with my brother now that we both have the PGA Tour card,” explained Nicolai.
– Scottie Scheffler made two eagles in the first round of the Phoenix Open. It’s the third time he’s done something like this in his career. The previous two times (Byron Nelson 2023 and American Express 2022) he did not win the tournament.
