Wyndham Clark may be one of the favourites to win the second FedEx Cup play-off event of the season, with the BMW Championship set to take place at Castle Pines this week.
The Colorado course is set to host its first event on the PGA Tour since 2006, meaning that only a handful of players in the field for the BMW Championship have prior experience of playing the track. Wyndham Clark is one of those having grown up in the Centennial State.
Clark has quietly had an impressive few weeks. Of course, he had a tough week at The Open Championship as he was one of several big names to miss the cut at Royal Troon. And Clark came in for criticism after a nightmare opening round at the Olympics.
However, the 2023 US Open champion fought back superbly at Le Golf National, and has now finished in the top 20 in four of his last five events worldwide – including in a tie for seventh at the St Jude Championship.
Wyndham Clark issues verdict on Castle Pines ahead of BMW Championship
Clark would commonly practice at Castle Pines as a youngster, so it is little surprise that he seems to be extremely excited about the chance to play in his home state this week.
And on CBS Colorado, Clark was asked about what makes the Jack Nicklaus-designed course special.
“Honestly, it’s one of the best experiences that you can have in golf,” he said.
“The minute you walk in the locker room, the service, obviously, the views are amazing, the course is fantastic, the milkshakes are amazing, so Castle Pines just has this special feel. I think it really gives you that Colorado feel that you get playing in the mountains, it’s really unique to any other place in Colorado.”
A unique challenge
Of course, the world’s best players are so good because they have an ability to adapt to the different demands each week much quicker than most. So the challenges Castle Pines pose may not shock the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, particularly at such a crucial point in the season.
But those who do not have their yardages locked in are likely to struggle given how the ball can fly so much further than usual in the Colorado skies.
It is also a golf course which can really penalise anything which ends up wide of the fairway. There are plenty of water hazards, and, as the name suggests, plenty of trees to avoid.
Clark is ninth on the PGA Tour for total strokes gained this season, so there could be a very good chance of him emerging victorious on a course which clearly means a lot to him.
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