Few players have anything like the knowledge of Castle Pines that Wyndham Clark has heading into the BMW Championship this week, with the world number five growing up in Colorado.
The PGA Tour is returning to the Centennial State for the first time in a decade, while the BMW Championship will be the first event held at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course since 2006. Jason Day was the one current player in the field for that tournament 18 years ago – The International.
Wyndham Clark spent plenty of time playing on Castle Pines as a youngster, so he will have a better idea than most about how to tackle the challenges of playing in the Colorado skies.
Clark has spoken about how unique a test Castle Pines is, and he has now offered a more detailed verdict on the course after seeing it up close following the St Jude Championship last week.
Wyndham Clark makes prediction ahead of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines
Interestingly, the 30-year-old believes that much of the course’s defences have been blunted by the conditions, and thus, it could be a good week for scoring for the world’s best players as the FedEx Cup play-offs head into full swing.
“Yeah, the course is very healthy. It’s very green and lush. It’s pretty soft, so it’s playing all of that 8,100. Obviously with the altitude it’s shorter than 8,100, but it’s playing about as long as it could right now because the ball is not rolling maybe as much as it normally does, then the greens aren’t firm, either.
Depending on the weather, and people that know here know that the thunderstorms come up in the afternoon. If they don’t come up and it’s dry, this course is going to play really firm and fast, which makes it pretty tough, which is how it normally plays,” he said.
“But with how it is right now, the rough is more challenging than maybe it would normally be, but after seeing it, I think scores might be a little lower than maybe people wanted, some of the members here, just because it’s so soft. But you can’t control human nature.”
A different challenge for the world’s best
It is fascinating to see when the world’s best take on these unique challenges, particularly when it comes to the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who have barely put a foot wrong all season.
Many of the biggest events on the PGA Tour and the major championships are played on courses which the world’s best are very familiar with. And it often seems to throw them off when they are sent to a new track – many will remember, for example, some of the contention which came when the US Open went back to Shinnecock Hills in 2018 after 14 years.
Obviously, the BMW Championship is not a US Open, but it would excite plenty of fans if the players were tested in a way they are not as comfortable with.
However, Clark’s assessment suggests that there are going to be some good scores to be had in the coming days.
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