The 2023 U.S. Open champion is at home on Colorado trout streams, but after a golf ball change, he feels ready to contend at Augusta National.
Wyndham Clark has been in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for all but one week since the beginning of 2024, and the one week he dropped out, he quickly climbed back in. After Clark originally committed to Oklahoma State, he transferred to Oregon where he blossomed into the Golfweek Player of the Year, under head coach Casey Martin. It marked the first time a Ducks player captured a conference title in 39 years.
And while his road to the top after college was a slow burn, Clark is in prime position as he heads into Augusta National next week in search of his second major title. His 2023 U.S. Open victory at Los Angeles Country Club has already put the American in rarified air.
Golfweek caught up with Clark in advance of the 2025 Masters and talked golf, fishing and cocktails.
Golfweek: You finished T-5 a few days ago in Houston. How is your game heading into the season’s first major?
Wyndham Clark: I’m really excited. I really liked the course in Houston and think that it’s great prep for Augusta. Honestly, you know, it’s been tough because people just look at results and say I haven’t had many top 10 finishes. I haven’t won, but I’ve had a lot of good rounds and good starts to tournaments. So my game, obviously, is still there. I just haven’t put it all together, so it was nice to put a complete tournament together in Houston. That’s the first thing. The second thing is I feel like I’ve found a lot of things in my game that have given me confidence. I have been kind of tweaking with some golf balls to try to bring down some spin. I felt like the ball I used those last two rounds in Houston was really good, and I think it will be really helpful throughout the rest of the year.
What did you switch from, and what did you switch into? Did you go from the Titleist Pro Vx to the Pro V1?
WC: I went from a Pro V1x to the V model. You know, I have not changed my golf ball since the 2019 Pro V1x, so it’s been five or six years. But we found that as my swing has progressed and I’m hitting it better, I’m spinning it too much, and the window that I want to see out of just what wasn’t happening. We thought, okay, well then maybe we need to go into the Pro V1. So it sounds like a big change, but it’s really not. We’re just trying to get the ball to come out and into a window and do everything that I see in my eye.
Last year, you drove the ball really well, and statistically, you were one of the best drivers of the golf ball out there. Compared to last year, that has come down a little bit, but at the same time, your short game has really improved. Have you been doing anything different?
WC: No, and I think that stat is a little bit skewed. I’ve always had a good short game. The more greens you miss, the more opportunities you have to get up and down, so it helps your percentage. But if I’m driving it great and I miss three or four greens in a round, and I don’t get two of them up and down, regardless of the difficulty, I’m at 50 percent of up and downs versus if I missed 10 greens and I miss the same amount, two or three, I’m at 70 or 80 percent. Basically, I think I’ve been missing more greens this year. But, I think that’s going to change now that I’ve changed balls. The less spin, I think, is gonna help me because I felt like into the wind, I had to lean on the ball to get it to stay low, and that resulted in my making bad swings. Now, as I got a lower spinning ball, I can just make my swing and get the ball into the windows I like.
Talking about wind, last year was your first Masters, and you played in a howler. There was a lot of wind for players to contend with. Now that you’ve been there and seen it, will you approach this Masters differently than you did last year?
WC: Honestly, my approach won’t be too much different. Obviously, I’m coming in a different light. Last year, I was second on the FedEx Cup point list and was the ‘hot player’ and really thought I had a chance to win. It was very unfortunate that I had those conditions, especially for my first Masters. Obviously, Scottie (Scheffler) won from the same way, but not many guys made the cut from that (side of the draw) or even were on the top of the leaderboard. So I chalk it up to just bad luck. And yes, it sucks, and it was my first Masters and that had to happen, but the good thing is I saw Augusta as scary as a it could be.
So now, I feel like I’m gonna see a more tame Augusta, hopefully, and I feel like I’m coming in with good form. I’m just excited to get back. I left with a sour taste, and I want a little revenge on Augusta. I just want to be in contention on the back nine, you know, I want to give myself a chance with nine holes to go on a Masters Sunday. It’s what I’ve been dreaming about and that’s all you can ask for, so I’m hoping I’m in that situation.
You’ve turned into a big game hunter. You won the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. You’ve won at Pebble Beach. You won at Quail Hollow, site of this year’s PGA Championship. Those are stout courses. How does your game match up with Augusta National?
WC: You know, it’s funny. I have the ability to go low, and I’ve shot some great low numbers on tour, but when I play tournaments that are 20-plus under as the winner, for some reason, I haven’t had as much success. I’m looking at Palm Springs, for example. I feel like when you get to the majors, where you’re shooting a 2-, 3-, 4-under, I can do that consistently. I can lean on my short game, I can drive it really good, I can make the putts, I can have really good speed and two-putt. I can salvage an amazing par or a really good bogey when you’re in a tough spot. I just have always really felt like I fare better in that type of game.If I look back at it, I think a lot of it has to do with playing Karsten Creek (the home of Oklahoma State’s golf team) in college. A good round at Karsten Creek, a lot of times, is only 2- or 3-under par, so you get kind of used to that. Now, you can say that’s good or bad because you need to learn how to go low, but in majors, you’ve gotta know how important par is, and I feel like I do that at those big-time golf courses.
You and I both love to fly fish. I’m not asking you to give away some of your real honey holes, but what are some of your favorite rivers to fish when you are home in Colorado?
WC: Well, I grew up in South Denver, so the South Platte is close. It’s a very busy river, but that was only about 45, 50 minutes from my house, so I would just cruise there, fish for three or four hours, and then even go golfing in the afternoon. That’s one of my favorites. I’ve always loved the Dream Stream (in Lake George, Colo.), which is between 11 Mile Reservoir and Spinney Mountain Reservoir. It’s about a 2- or 3-mile stretch with monster fish. And the Blue River is very close to where I grew up, and there’s some great public water. Those are my three go-to streams that are close to Denver, and outside of that, I love fishing in Wyoming.
Since Blade and Bow Bourbon Whiskey helped to bring us together, how did your partnership with that company happen?
WC: So I’ve always loved bourbon, and I feel like golf and whiskey go together very well. They reached out and were interested in doing a partnership, and I thought, ‘Nothing is better than whiskey and golf.’ So, I feel like it was a perfect match. I’ve really grown to love this brand and all the cool things we’re doing together. It’s been fun.
How do you drink your bourbon?
WC: Different ways. I’m usually on the rocks, but Blade and Bow has this great cocktail called the Kentucky Caddie, which is fantastic. It’s their take on an Arnold Palmer (bourbon, peach iced tea, and lemonade topped with fresh mint).
So I take it you know the official cocktail of the Kentucky Derby?
WC: Yes, I do …. hold on …. gimme a second here. Oh my gosh. The Mint Julip!
There you go. Do you know the official cocktail of the Masters?
WC: Isn’t it called an Azalea?
Very good! Do you know what’s in it?
WC: No.
I didn’t either. It’s vodka, lemonade and a little splash of grenadine with some fruit on the top. It looks pretty, but I’ve never had one.
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