Wyndham Clark shares the big mistake every player in his group was making during practice round at Pinehurst

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World number four Wyndham Clark has revealed what kept happening to his group during his practice round at Pinehurst No.2 on Monday.

The 2023 U.S. Open winner was among the first to arrive at the famous North Carolina course after missing the cut at the Memorial last week.

Since placing second in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, it’s been a season to forget for the American, who missed cuts at the Masters and last month’s PGA Championship.

Clark’s poor form has even caused large swathes of the golfing world to question his position in the current world rankings.

The 30-year-old is in need of a competitive finish this week – and dealing with Pinehurst’s treacherous greens is a must.

Wyndham Clark’s group all made the same mistake during Monday’s practice round at Pinehurst No.2

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Speaking to the media ahead of Thursday’s first round, Clark revealed the grain on Pinehurst’s greens was severely impacting the pace of his putts.

He explained: “The grain, I don’t know if it affects the break of the putts so much on these greens because they are cut so tight that the grain is not grabbing it; it’s more the speed. So when it looks really shiny and it’s down grain, let’s say the greens are at 13 right now, I think down grain it’s more like 15 or 16. They are significantly faster.”

The 2023 U.S. Open champion went on to reveal that multiple putts were hit off the green during his practice round.

“Into the grain, it’s not affecting it that much, so it goes from a 13 to a 12 in my mind,” he added. “So every putt is fast.

“I have found myself hitting uphill putts six feet by and hitting downhill puts six or seven feet by. It was a common theme in our group; multiple guys putted off the green and hit puts where they were like, ‘Oh my gosh’. It’s definitely the defence right now, the greens.”

Pinehurst’s greens will decide the 2024 U.S. Open

As Clark mentioned, Pinehurst’s greens will play a massive part in deciding the U.S. Open winner this week.

Those who can quickly get to grips with the grain and undulating nature of the putting surfaces will have an advantage.

Clark has enjoyed hot spells with the flat stick in the past – and could be well-suited to the challenging putting surfaces if he can regain his early season form.

Scottie Scheffler is the red-hot favourite heading into the third major of the year, but the world number one will have to improve his work on the greens to challenge at Pinehurst.

Despite claiming victory, Scheffler’s putting during the final round at Memorial was sub-par – and an improvement must be made in order to tackle this week’s test.