Carrying wedges with too much bounce

Keyur Khamar

Although conventional wisdom says, “Bounce is your friend,” Clark sees that concept as more of a Band-Aid than reliable advice.

“I think amateurs play wedges with too much bounce,” he says. “Game-improvement wedges (high bounce) might mask some mistakes, but it can be very difficult to hit the correct shot with those wedges or have the ability to be versatile.” Clark continues: “Everyday players have to hit a lot of shots around the greens. To score better, I’d suggest using less of a game-improvement wedge and working on hitting a wider array of shots.”

Using shafts designed for tour pros

Jamie Squire

Just as tour players are susceptible to trying the “hot” shaft off the assembly line, so are amateurs. Most golfers, however, are not achieving tour swing speeds or swinging the club on a path that resembles what a tour pro does. As such, copying the pros in their shaft choice is a bad call, Clark says.

“Trying to use a shaft because some tour player you like uses it or because it’s expensive so it must be better is a path to poor golf,” Clark says. “I see too many golfers with shafts that are way too stiff or too heavy for them. It doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t use the same model, but a good fitting will likely result in a different flex and weight.”

Eating on course like you’re tailgating

Amateurs typically eat or drink when they’re playing, as do the pros. But unlike the pros, devouring a hot dog at the turn and washing it down with a beer doesn’t really count for keeping up your energy.

Clark’s on-course “menu” is probably a better plan of attack. “I eat often on the course but a little bit at a time,” he says. “I usually have apple sauce, which keeps my sugar levels good. I have Bobo’s Oat Bars for carbs and a little bit of protein. I always have gluten-free oat butter with jelly. Nuts and apples, too.”

You might not play like a US Open champ, but take a few tips and give your game a boost.

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Clark, making his Ryder Cup debut for the US team at Marco Simone, said last week that he’d love a match-up against Rory McIlroy, who Clark beat by one stroke at LACC this summer to win the US Open. “I have the utmost respect for Rory — he is one of our great ambassadors of our game. He is obviously one of the best of all time and he is still going so he can be that. I have tons of respect for Rory and because of that respect, I also want to beat him,” Clark said. “I like to think I am better than him, and I want to prove that. I would love to play Rory, I think that would be really fun for the fans too. Long-ball hitters … we have similar games in that respect. It would be a little bit of David and Goliath. I am hoping to get that chance. Regardless of who I play, I am really excited. But that one would be a lot of fun.”

Which, pretty innocuous, right? Well, some European backers considered said remarks disrespectful. That was apparent as Clark met with the media, the very first question concerning his McIlroy quotes.

“Yeah, I want everyone to know, I think it was taken out of context. If you listen to the whole interview, I praised Rory and said how much I respect him and how good I think he is and how he’s one of the best players in the last 20 years,” Clark said. “And what I said was I think I’m better than him when I’m playing good — if I don’t think I’m better than every player out here, then what am I doing? If I’m trying to be the best player in the world, which is what I’m trying to be, I’ve got to believe that. Right now, maybe I’m not. He’s had a way better career than me, that’s obvious. But I also have to have that self-belief that I can beat anyone out here. It is kind of funny to me that people took it that way because they kind of saw that I’m better than him and I want to beat him. Well, of course I want to beat him and, of course, I believe that I can beat him. Yeah, it’s interesting how things get taken out of context.”

OK, controversy averted. We can move on, yes?

No, actually, as the third question was also about Clark’s McIlroy comments and the possibility of running into McIlroy on property. And Clark had no appetite to fan the fictional flames.

“Well, the question, when the guy asked it to me, what am I supposed to say? If I say I think he’s better than me and he’s going to beat me, then I’m going to get ridiculed because people don’t think I have any self-belief. And then if I have self-belief, which I do in myself, people take it out of context either way, so it was kind of a tough question,” Clark said. “But to the part of running into Rory, I don’t know if Rory saw the full interview or if he just saw the little snippet that everyone is running with or if he’s seen it at all. I have not seen him or talked to him. I would love to talk to him because I imagine he’d probably give me some jabs here and there.

“Like I said, I have so much respect for Rory. I’ve always looked up to him. Even when I was in college, Rory was winning majors. I’m like, man, one day I’d love to be Rory McIlroy.

“By no means did I say anything that was trying to belittle what he did or be cocky or arrogant — it’s more just self-belief in myself. I’d love to get a chance to play against him this week, and if it doesn’t happen, that’s fine. Anytime I get Rory in a pairing, I’m excited because I like to measure myself up against the best players in the world and see how I fare.”

There you have it. Clark respects McIlroy, he wants to beat McIlroy, he’s excited to be here. He may be a rookie, but Clark handled that potential minefield with the ease of a veteran.

Main picture: Patrick Smith

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Wyndham Clark is no exception, and as the reigning US Open champ, he’s ready for a Rory McIlroy match-up if the situation calls for it. The two went head-to-head back in June at the Los Angeles Country Club, with Clark besting McIlroy by one stroke to win his first major. The Ryder Cup rookie is using that victory as inspiration and is up to the task of taking on the four-time major winner at Marco Simone.

In an interview, Clark discussed the potential “David and Goliath” match-up and some of the other golfers that he hopes he gets a chance to play against, most notably Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland. Jump to the seven-minute mark if you want to watch Clark’s Rory comments.

“I have the utmost respect for Rory — he is one of our great ambassadors of our game. He is obviously one of the best of all time and he is still going so he can be that. I have tons of respect for Rory and because of that respect, I also want to beat him. I like to think I am better than him and I want to prove that,” said Clark.

“I would love to play Rory, I think that would be really fun for the fans too. Long-ball hitters. We have similar games in that respect. It would be a little bit of David and Goliath. I am hoping to get that chance. Regardless of who I play, I am really excited. But that one would be a lot of fun.”

Clark certainly didn’t shy away there, but if he doesn’t get a chance to take on the Northern Irishman, there’s a Spaniard and Norwegian that’ll do.

“One guy I would love to have a piece of, because the one loss I had in college was to him, is Viktor Hovland. He clipped me on the 18th hole. If there is any competition or anyone I would like another chance at, it would be Viktor.

“And Jon Rahm. I live in Arizona and so does Jon. We play together — there is always trash talk and even when we are having a friendly match we want to make sure we don’t lose to each other, even if we lose to the other guys in the group. We don’t want to lose to each other. Any of those guys would be a lot of fun to play against.”

As a first-time Ryder Cupper, Clark is definitely giving off the impression that he’s keen for the festivities to begin. There’s no doubt that most of the participants have a similar bravado, but saying it for the world to hear is an exciting addition to what’s to come. Let’s hope we get a Wyndham vs. Rory singles match-up and that McIlroy has this bulletin board material locked and loaded. Let the games begin.

Main images: Getty Images

The post ‘I like to think I am better than him’: Wyndham Clark’s bold response to a potential singles showdown with Rory appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Finca Cortesin General Manager Francisco de Lancastre David takes us through the final preparations of hosting such a monumental event as the Solheim Cup, and we analyse the unlike-any-other-competition pressures of competing in the Ryder Cup in Rome.

Coach Justin Parsons takes us on his journey from Northern Ireland to the UAE and Open glory with Brian Harman, and Wyndham Clark explains what it takes to win a major.

All this and much, much more in the September 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get the September 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

On a day of low scoring, you have to scroll pretty far down the leaderboard to find the name Wyndham Clark. But good luck finding anyone in the field who flashed more smiles during the first round of the Travelers Championship.

Just four days following his US Open victory at Los Angeles Country Club, Clark was on the East Coast teeing it up at TPC River Highlands. And it didn’t take long for him to feel different than he has during any other tournament of his career.

“I definitely was a little less stressed or anxious today than I think I normally would be to start a tournament,” Clark said. “I was more relaxed. I didn’t have much expectations, which was really nice. And then obviously the fan interaction was great. We went off early, which normally when I’m going off on a Thursday that early there is hardly any fans watching me and there as of decent amount, so that was kind of nice.”

Clark was announced as the “US Open champion” before beginning his round bright and early at 7.35am on the 10th tee along with Justin Thomas and Max Homa. He took some playful ribbing from Thomas, but received plenty of crowd support throughout the day on his way to a solid opening-round two-under 68.

“Every hole they were saying: ‘The champ’s here,’ and: ‘Congrats,’” Clark said of the fans. People know my name now, which is nice. Four or five years ago they didn’t know who I am. So it’s been an amazing day.”

Since holding off Rory McIlroy to win the US Open on Sunday it’s been a bit of a whirlwind. Clark says he’s been amazed by some of the “influential” people he’s received calls and texts from, and his media tour of New York City included stops at the “Today” show and “Good Morning America” earlier in the week. He admitted he “hardly had any prep” for this week. So little, in fact, he forgot to tweak his 4-iron that gave him problems at LACC.

He hit his worst shot with that club on Thursday, his shot on the par-3 fifth hole clunked off a teenager’s head. But like he did at LACC time and time again, Clark scrambled for par.

“I had an incredible up and down, so I think he probably saved me,” said Clark, who finished the morning wave six shots behind early leader Keegan Bradley. “So whatever his name is, thank you.”

Clark says his competitive drive has him wanting to do well, but you can’t blame him if deep down he’s treating this week’s tournament as a bonus. In addition to the US Open, Clark won another designated event at the Wells Fargo Championship last month, bringing his winnings over the past six weeks to $7.6 million after earning only $2.6 million over the previous six years.

“No, hasn’t hit me yet,” Clark said. “I’m still kind of on the high. I’m sure as the week goes on it might hit me, but fortunately I have two week off after this to get refreshed and ready for the rest of the year.”

In the meantime, Clark is still in this tournament at two under after Day 1. And he’s still enjoying his victory lap.

The post Why Wyndham Clark enjoyed his first round as a major champion so much appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Jon Rahm didn’t just show up for the first pre-tournament press conference of the Travelers Championship on Tuesday, he arrived at the media centre a full five minutes early ready to go. If the two-time major champ had any sort of major championship hangover from the US Open, he didn’t show it. Then again, the situation was a lot different from the last time this happened a couple months ago.

The PGA Tour has been jam-packed this season for top players, most notably with two of the new designated events falling the week after a major championship. Rahm drew praise for playing at Hilton Head in April just days after claiming the green jacket. But on Tuesday the only green on his mind were the bright shoes he wore as he got right back to work.

“Oh, way easier, way easier,” Rahm said when asked to compare this week to the one at Harbour Town following his Masters win. “I was pretty drained on that Thursday still when I tee’d up at Harbour Town, and mainly because that week was unique in how demanding it was on the weekend with all the starts and stops and the tough whether. Every time I win it takes a little bit more out of you.”

Rahm didn’t win at the US Open, but he did finish strong with a Sunday 65 at LACC. That vaulted him into the top 10, but he acknowledged that not all high finishes are created equal.

“For the better part of the weekend I was never in contention, so all that stress and intensity that comes with it wasn’t there,” Rahm continued. “Even though I finished great, my round was done at 3pm and I was able to enjoy most of the broadcast like everybody else. That extra energy spent on battling Sunday afternoon at the Open, so energy-wise I’m much better.”

There is a big difference from going between Augusta and Hilton Head versus a cross-country flight from LA to the East Coast. But as a travel vet, Rahm offered three pieces of advice to overcome potential jet lag: 1. Stay hydrated on the flight, 2. Stick with your meal plan, 3. Hit the ground running. Literally.

“And then when you land, if you have time and a gym are whatever it may be, to get a little bit of exercise in,” said Rahm, whose T-25 in 2016 is his best finish in three previous starts at the Travelers, the last of which came in 2020. “It doesn’t need to be crazy. It could be 30, 40 minutes of just some kind of stretching or whatever to get the blood flowing a little bit more so your body can just naturally recover and get things moving. If you just sit for five hours and then you arrive here late, have dinner, and go to bed, I don’t feel my best the next morning.”

Good to know. Rahm also had some advice for golf’s newest major champ, Wyndham Clark, who is also in the field this week with another $20 million purse on the line.

“After winning I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care how it goes this week,” Rahm said. “So, I really couldn’t tell you. It’s so personal. All I could tell him is to enjoy the win as much as possible. You know, if you want to focus and play this week, go ahead, but just take the time to enjoy those moments, just because, you know, they’re not easy to come by.”

Judging by the video that emerged of Clark chugging from the US Open trophy, he appears to be doing just that. So Rahm would definitely approve — he just might suggest that Clark focus even more than normal on his hydration before teeing it up on Thursday.

The post Why Jon Rahm is much better prepared to play the week after a major this time — and his advice to Wyndham Clark appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It was two years ago at the Travelers Championship. Wyndham Clark had just missed the cut at the US Open, and on the 15th hole of his practice round at TPC River Highlands, his ball was sailing left.

“Did you get that on video?”

I did. Clark came over and studied the footage on my phone. I’m not sure what, exactly, he was looking for, but he wasn’t happy with whatever he saw.

“Dammit,” he said as the club approached impact.

His caddie, John Ellis, pulled a second club out of his bag and held it close to Clark’s hands as he set up to another ball. It was a drill Clark and his coach at the time had been working on to help him turn the club through the ball. The ball sailed left once again.

Three days later Clark shot 77, and missed the cut.

“I worked with some great coaches and they were very good at what they do,” Clark said. “But I didn’t know where the ball was going. I didn’t own it.”

When Clark returns to TPC River Highlands next week, he’ll arrive with two wins in his last four starts, the latest a US Open trophy which he secured with 10-under total, staving off a Sunday challenge from World No. 2 Rory McIlroy along the way.

It’s not quite fair to call Clark a comeback story. Until this week, he was more of a talented player whose potential always seemed to surpass what he was actually achieving. Either way, stories like these often run on similar plots: Player meets coach, coach coaches player. Sparks fly, swings change, putts drop, trophies get lifted. Happily ever after.

Clark’s story took a different turn.

Information overload

When Clark assessed his game, he didn’t see a need to tear his golf swing down and start again. After all, people kept telling him his golf swing was good! His issue was not understanding how to use it. He didn’t know what the golf ball was doing, or why. The cause-and-effect of it all. So, he wiped the whiteboard clean. No more coaches. He’d figure this out himself.

Wyndham Clark's move is ultra-pure pic.twitter.com/97kuKJbDhd

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) June 23, 2021

“My first few years on tour it actually really bothered me because people would say, oh, you have such a great swing,” he said. “Yet I didn’t know where the ball was going, and that was really frustrating.”

Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee often speaks of the athletic genius on his Live From broadcasts. That players on tour have an innate gift, but that many of them — through some combination of fear and confusion and good intentions — suffocate that gift to death with excess thought, upon the advice of experts.

On Saturday before the final round, Chamblee said most modern professional golfers are enshrined in a kind of “cult mindset”. Doing only what others tell them to. Dependent on others. Following, rather than finding. It’s a point that’s perhaps overstated, but one with a truth at its core.

Those around Tiger Woods would often describe him as a sponge: Soaking in the information he needs, and discarding the rest. At no point in history do golfers have access to more information about their own games than right now. Acquiring and using that information is only half the battle. The true art, in the modern era of golf, may not be in the soaking, but in learning how and when to turn the tap off.

That’s what Clark’s did.

Wyndham Clark. Andrew Redington

“I learned about my game and my swing,” he said. “That’s what I did when I was younger. I knew how to hit shots and I got away from that when I was with a coach.”

These days, Clark takes a blessedly minimalist approach to his own game, and one the rest of us can learn a lot from.

Learning to do the opposite

He keeps a close eye on the ball flight. If it starts moving too severely one way or the other, he’ll intentionally try to overcorrect, and do the opposite. He doesn’t care how it looks. He doesn’t care how it feels. He doesn’t care how others do it. He only cares about figuring out how he can steer his car back to the right when he sees it veering left.

“When I’m in practice, I’m always trying to get back to neutral,” he says. “If one day it’s really cutty, I’m hitting huge draws on the range. And then some days it gets kind of too draw-y, I hit huge cuts and get it back to neutral. That’s what I’ve done for the last year and a half. I’ve kept my swing in those parameters to where regardless I can play good golf if I’m hitting a little draw or a little cut, and my stats have improved immensely by doing that.”

Immensely is right.

Pure precision from @Wyndham_Clark ?

He leads by one. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/4QMm5GDZhp

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 18, 2023

Clark went on to finish 155th in SG: Tee-to-Green the year he sent those two balls wildly left, and 188th in SG: Approach. So far this season, he’s 19th in SG: Tee-to-Green, and 25th in SG: Approach. And now, the 2023 US Open champion.

The lesson to learn from Clark’s story isn’t to retreat to some kind of golf swing cabin in the woods. Living off the land, forgoing all information about the golf swing. But rather, remembering the only essential rule in golf: That the golf ball never lies, and it doesn’t care. Not what your swing looks like, or what route it took to get there. Not your golf swing tendencies or anything else. The ball just travels where the ball tells it to, no questions asks.

Certainty is the rarest of currencies in golf. Hold tight on to whatever gives you some measure of that. Coaches can and often do often help. So do tips and feels and thoughts. But each has their own limitations. At the end of it all, and as Wyndham Clark showed on Sunay, true genius lies within the golfer.

The post Wyndham Clark’s common sense golf swing approach can teach us a lot appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Wyndham Clark was playing some truly incredible golf at the US Open, and the fourth hole proved it.

On the 233-yard, par-3 fourth, Clark hit a towering 6-iron that floated into the clouds. When it came down to Earth, it ended just a few feet from the pin. A truly incredible shot.

Pure precision from @Wyndham_Clark ?

He leads by one. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/4QMm5GDZhp

— U.S. Open (USGA) (@usopengolf) June 18, 2023

He made the putt to give him the solo lead.

But more interesting about the shot was the fact that Clark didn’t use a tee to hit it. Most players have opted for tees this week, and for good reason. It helps launch the ball higher into the air, and often adds more distance.

Some data for amateur golfers, reported in Golf Digest’s 2023 Hot List:

Sure, it’s super cool to walk on to the tee box on a par 3 and just drop a ball, prop it up on a nice tuft of grass and swing. It’s also about as dumb a move as trying a hero shot through a forest of trees. Arccos data shows the amount of distance golfers of all levels gain from hitting an iron off the tee versus fairway-height grass is the kind that turns Bruce Banner into The Incredible Hulk. Taking the data from all players with all irons, the gain is almost 12 yards — 143.4 yards from the grass and 155.3 yards off the tee. That’s a full club less into the green. It’s also nearly universal with each club as no iron from 3-iron to 9-iron showed less than a 9.7-yard increase. Does the added distance translate into more greens hit? You bet it does. On all shots from fairway-type grass the green in regulation percentage of all handicap groups combined was 36.2 per cent. When using a tee, it jumps to 40.7 per cent.

Wyndham is in the upper echelon of ball speeds on the PGA Tour — his 146 mph ball speed on this 6 iron is about 10 per cent above tour average — and a natural fader of the ball. The combination gives him all the speed and spin he needs, without the help of a tee.

The post US Open 2023: What TV cameras didn’t show about one of the best shots of the tournament appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

You can say a lot of things were the difference between Wyndham Clark winning the US Open and Rory McIlroy not, but perhaps the most glaring difference was Clark’s short-game sorcery from seemingly impossible positions — and McIlroy’s inability to get up-and-down after a rules-related break on the par-5 14th.

After a tee shot at the short par-4 sixth found the barranca fronting the green, Clark hit a nifty pitch from the junk to make birdie and take a two-shot lead on McIlroy and four over Rickie Fowler. Clark then dumped his approach on the eighth into the barranca again and after leaving it in there on the first attempt, made an amazing bogey save to minimise the damage.

There was more to follow. A wonder up-and-down for par at the par-3 ninth was followed by a sick pitch shot from long left on par-3 11th for yet another big par save to stay a shot ahead of McIlroy. One more clutch up and down at 17 capped the magic show. Not bad for a guy who had a previous best major finish of T-75.

Clark’s wedges are Titleist’s Vokey SM9 model with a 46-degree pitching wedge and 52- and 56-degree gap and sand wedges. His 60-degree lob wedge is a Vokey SM9 WedgeWorks model with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.

Clark then put the hammer down on the par-5 14th. Leading by two after McIlroy’s misstep, Clark unleashed a mammoth, high cutting 3-wood from 279 yards that thread the needle and found the green, leading to a two-putt birdie and a three-shot cushion.

His 3-wood is a 16.5-degree TaylorMade Stealth 2 with a Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 80 TX shaft.

Of course, to win a US Open you need to putt well. Much was made during the week of Clark using a replica of Rickie Fowler’s Odyssey Jailbird Versa with a mid-length shaft and 17-inch SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0 grip. For those not familiar with the story, Clark addressed it in his Saturday press conference.

“We were playing at Medalist where he belongs in Florida, and I hadn’t been putting good, and this was right before Bay Hill,” said Clark. “I played with Rickie, and he just made every single putt. Afterwards we were practising a little bit and I hit a couple and I was like, oh, gosh, this is really nice.

“So I texted the Odyssey guy, and I said, hey, can you make me Rickie’s putter? And he’s like, well what specs? I said, the exact same. So I literally had the exact same putter. … He changed the grip and cut it an inch, so I was like, all right, I got to change the grip and cut it an inch.”

Fowler’s putter model or not, Clark putted like Rickie in finishing fourth in strokes gained/putting, picking up nearly two shots on the field.

Clark’s work on the green can be attributed to more than just his putter, however. His ball marker might have offered an inspirational assist as well, give what he told Golf Digest in 2019.

“A good friend of mine made this ball marker for me and gave it to me as a gift,” he said. “It’s pretty awesome. My mom passed away on August 2, 2013 and she always told me to play big. He made me a ball marker that says to play big and has a bible verse on it. It’s always a reminder of her when I’m playing. It gives me some perspective when things aren’t going well and also when I am playing well. It lets me know she’s looking down on me.”

Looking down on him holding the US Open trophy up high.

What Wyndham Clark had in the bag at the 2023 US Open
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist TSi3 (Accra TZ Six ST 60 M5) 9 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2, 16.5 degrees
Irons (3): Titleist T200; (4-9): Titleist 620 CB; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM9
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (52, 56 degrees); Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks (60 degrees)
Putter: Odyssey O-Works Jailbird Mini

The post What’s in my bag? A closer look at the clubs Wyndham Clark used for his magical up-and-downs at LACC appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Wyndham Clark’s caddie, John Ellis, points to a career-defining intervention three years ago that laid the foundation for his US Open victory on Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club. It was the first round at the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, and Clark had made three bogeys in four holes. He fell to two-over par — hardly a need to panic — but decided to walk off the course from the 13th hole and withdraw.

He was angry. Not about the day’s score, but angry at golf generally and, really, at life. Clark had lost his mother, Lise, who introduced him to golf, to breast cancer in 2013. It led to bouts of depression and frustration that followed him to college. Without the support of the mother who drove him to tournaments, he would lose his composure in qualifiers at Oklahoma. When he transferred to Oregon, he was still angry. Even more so when he turned pro in 2017 and started playing for a living.

Clark’s former coach, Boyd Summerhays, and Ellis, gave Clark a hard talking to after that Rocket Mortgage. The ultimatum was, change your attitude or quit golf.

“It made all the world of difference,” Ellis, who was one of Clark’s golf coaches at Oregon, said on the 18th green at LACC. “He needed to believe in what he was doing.”

Added Clark: “I owe a lot to [Ellis]. I feel like John was meant to be my caddie. It’s so much more than just a business relationship — we’re really close friends.”

Wyndham Clark and John Ellis. Sean M Haffey

The intervention set Clark on a path of self-discovery and self-help, through books like “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday and “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon. In January, Clark also enlisted the help of mental coach, Julie Elion. The work paid off when Clark fulfilled his potential as a PGA Tour winner at the Wells Fargo Championship last month, against an elite field given its designated status.

Standing behind LACC’s finishing hole, Elion did not want undue attention when asked by reporters for a comment on why they had a strong partnership. Elion said only that she “holds a mirror” up to Clark to remind him to believe in his talent.

On Sunday, he did. Clark shot a gutsy even-par 70 to finish at 10-under, holding off four-time major winner Rory McIlroy (70) by a shot, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (70) was third at seven-under and Open champion Cameron Smith (67) was fourth a stroke further behind.

“Nobody really gave us a chance,” Ellis said of Clark, who held the 54-hole lead with Rickie Fowler, whose 75 sank him to T-5. “I watched all this stuff on TV and it was all about Rory, and everybody else, which makes [the win] more special.”

Ellis points to Clark’s 3-wood approach to the par-5 14th from 282 yards as the defining shot of his first major win. McIlroy had just made bogey at No. 14 in the group ahead and it was time to put the foot down. He hit it to 20 feet and two-putted for an easy, but momentous, birdie. “He hit probably one of the best shots in USGA history,” Ellis said. He then made bogeys on his next two holes, and on 18 needed par to win. Clark lagged his 50-foot birdie putt to tap-in range. Clark had come full circle. Those two bogeys were far more stressful than the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic. “It seemed like maybe the rails were coming off [at Nos. 15 and 16] but I was inside pretty calm,” he said. “I’m really pleased with myself with how I [responded].”

Ellis, who played in the 2008 and 2011 US Opens, was proud Clark had stuck to the advice he’d offered before the round. “I said, be cocky, enjoy today, and stay present,” Ellis said.

The emotion that poured out of Clark on the 18th green was felt by the family members surrounding the putting surface. His older sister, Kaitlin Christine, and younger brother, Brendan Clark, were crying tears of joy.

“This means more than anything I could imagine. Seeing my brother live out his dream of being a major champion to see it in real time … I’m speechless,” Brendan said. Kaitlin said she felt their mum was shining down on Wyndham. “Yes I think we all felt her today,” she said. “It’s a way her legacy is living on through him. She always wanted him to ‘play big’ for himself, and for her. That’s what he did today.”

In his winning press conference on Sunday, Clark did not shy away from questions about the tragedy of his mum. He proudly detailed how she lived in LA for several years and even married his father, Randall, at nearby Riviera Country Club, host of the Genesis Invitational.

Asked what Lise would have done if she was standing with Brendan and Kaitlin, Clark responded: “She’d be crying tears of joy. She called me ‘winner’ when I was little, so she would just say: ‘I love you, winner.’”

Now, he’s a US Open winner.

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