The last time golf fans witnessed a major championship, last month’s U.S. Open at LACC, it was Wyndham Clark walking off the 18th green as champion.
The 29-year-old shocked the golf world with the victory, captivating spectators with a finish that seemed appropriate for the Hollywood setting. And while Clark has become the coup de coeur since — with many fans hopping aboard his bandwagon — he’s focused on continued success, not just one major victory.
“We’ve had an amazing year,” he said. “I’m just going to continue to focus on what helps me play the best that I can and then let the results take care of themselves.”
As unlikely as Clark’s victory in Los Angeles was, he enters this week’s Open Championship with the 20th-best odds to win (+5,000), tied with other major champions such as Bryson DeChambeau and Adam Scott, and ahead of players like Justin Thomas (+5,500) and Hideki Matsuyama (+6,500).
Despite the rise in fame and popularity, Clark knows it’s important to stay grounded, reminding himself to avoid changing his personality or competitive mindset.
“If it does [change],” he said, “I hope someone punches me in the face and says, ‘Get back to who you were’. I really hope nothing changes.
“I think it fuels my confidence and belief in myself. Obviously, certain things change, my status and how much people know who I am. But as a person, I don’t think — I hope I don’t change.”
But it’s different to be the hunter versus the hunted.
With him having the most recent major championship on his resume, Clark knows there are expectations for how he plays. Go back about a month ago, and that wasn’t the case.
As more attention filters his way, people want to know what Clark’s approach to Royal Liverpool will be.
Coming off a tie for 25th at last week’s Scottish Open (which was also played on a links course), Clark said he’s fond of the difficult track and unpredictable weather conditions — so he’s up for the test this week.
“I love links golf. I think it’s the purest test of golf,” he said. “It’s more fun than I think any other golf that we have around the world, just because every day is so different.
“The wind might come out of the same direction, but every hole seems to have so much variety,” he added. “You get into different spots where one hole — the same hole you might be hitting a chip 8-iron; the next day it might be a 4-iron, or you could be near the green. I love the variety.”
Wyndham Clark’s approach to the Open Championship
Anyone who plays links golf courses knows that the uniqueness of the layout requires adjustments. Most of those changes are centered around keeping the ball low, ensuring that the shot isn’t impacted by any wind. Add in the firmness of the turf, and balls with heavy topspin tend to roll for added distance.
Clark is well aware of this, and revealed how the difficult track at Royal Liverpool is forcing him into “a lot more plotting and strategy.”
“Well, you definitely hit a lot more shots with different winds, and you try to make sure that you feel comfortable with winds off the left, winds off the right, into the wind,” Clark said.
“You work on certain tee shots because you know there’s a predominant wind and you know it’s going to be this way. It might be that way the whole week versus normal parkland courses, especially in the U.S., [where] you might get three winds all week or there might not be as much wind; so you don’t have to worry about that as much.”
To help himself adapt to the uncontrollable weather, Clark detailed his practice routine this week.
“There’s a lot of holes where it’s going to be three or four straight holes in a row in off the left, so we’ll work on the range in preparation on those tee shots.
“You also work on a lot of lag putts because you do — lag putts and putting off the green — which you normally wouldn’t work on in parkland golf. Normally, I’m pulling a 60-degree wedge and hitting a low spinner versus here you’re maybe keeping it on the ground.”
Clark continued to compare the differences between a links course and a parkland course (which is the typical layout in the U.S.), saying the former requires much more planning.
“There’s a lot more plotting and strategy that goes into links golf, and where you can and cannot be,” he said. “In parkland golf, with the ability that guys have now on the PGA Tour that we can get up-and-down and do anything from anywhere versus sometimes in links golf you almost can’t. There’s certain places you just can and cannot be.”
Clark understands the mission he has in front of him.
Can he catch lightning in a bottle twice in about a month and find himself hoisting the Claret Jug come Sunday? Will his preparation and confidence lead him to another major title?
Who knows? But his focus and respect for Royal Liverpool will give him a fighting chance — and he’s still gleaming with championship meddle, which is an intangible that no one can overlook.
