Wyndham Clark has revealed what he has really struggled with this year, with the American needing three superb rounds to finish inside the top 15 at the Olympic Games.
Wyndham Clark had a bit of a point to prove at the Olympics, having qualified for the US team through his world ranking. Some would have preferred to have seen Bryson DeChambeau go to Paris, particularly after his US Open win at Pinehurst in June.
But Clark did enough to put himself ahead of the LIV Golf star in the world rankings. Unfortunately, the 2023 US Open champion has had a tough year, despite his win at Pebble Beach in February. Clark has missed three cuts at the majors this season – and it appeared that he was going to be grateful for the Olympic event having no cut after Friday.
Clark opened with a four over par 75 at Le Golf National to seemingly end any hope he had of winning a medal after just 18 holes.
Wyndham Clark shared what he’s really struggled with in 2024
The 30-year-old did amazingly to fight his way back up the leaderboard, shooting rounds of 68, 65, 65 to finish in a tie for 14th on his Olympic bow.
Clark deserves enormous credit for bouncing back, particularly as, on the face of it, there is little glory to be had from finishing anywhere other than the top three spots. But there is also an issue for the American to address, as he assessed his overall performance throughout the week.
“Yeah, I’ve actually been struggling a lot with my starts, and it’s been tough to overcome, especially the majors, I started so poorly and then as I get to the back nine on Friday and I start playing really good golf, I barely missed the cut, and some of the cuts that I did make, then I back-doored into the top 10,” he said.
“So starting poorly, that’s something I’ve really got to work on; at least just get out of the gates somewhat solid; I feel like I can play good on the weekend.”
Season numbers are alarming
The numbers definitely back up Clark’s view of his game. He has opened nine of his last 11 events with scores of 70 or higher, with a 77 coming at The Memorial and a 78 at Royal Troon at The Open.
In comparison, Scottie Scheffler has had three opening rounds in the 70s in that same number of events, and his highest score was a 72. Scheffler has not shot a score worse than 74 in any round all year.
Clark spoke about Scheffler’s consistency ahead of the Olympics, so he will now be hoping that he can unlock the secret to that over the coming months as he looks to bounce back from a year in which he has often been forced to play catch up.
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