If you’re scoring at home, it’s been a rough stretch for Rory McIlroy. It all accounts for a very fine line, but that short game kept him on the right side of it.ģ. Think about this way: It’s not a stretch to suggest that if two of those chip shots run 8-10 feet past the hole and he misses the putt, he loses by a stroke instead of winning by one.
📺: & | #USOpen /X9KYECadJwįor the tourney, he ranked third in strokes gained around the greens. Wyndham Clark nearly holes it from well below the green and gets up-and-down for par. On at least three to four occasions, it looked like Clark was potentially looking at bogey, only to hit a pitch shot stone dead next to the hole and save par. This week, he ranked second off the tee and fourth in putting (while only 49th with his irons), but the biggest difference was his short game around the greens. His approach play has been his greatest strength, though it’s not like his driving and putting have gotten any worse. This was the scouting report for Clark, for those who hadn’t paid too much attention to him until this year: His two best clubs in the bag have always been driver and putter, which can be a deadly combo if he’s even just field average with his irons. It never appeared like the situation was too big for him. To me, that was the most impressive thing about this victory. It’s something that most players who haven’t won a major usually struggle with in their first few attempts - and something that some multiple major winners still struggle with.
Clark was able to maintain that steely demeanor, even in the most high-pressure moments. Not gonna lie: That insouciance toward it all had me thinking he was going to crash and burn when the real spotlight shined on him, as the bright lights of a Sunday back-nine have withered many confident players before him. Open Radio broadcast, and what struck me each time was a confidence that bordered on nonchalance, as if he’d challenged for majors a dozen times before and it wasn’t really a big deal anymore. I interviewed him after each of the first three rounds for the U.S. That’s great, but it usually takes a few spins around a major leaderboard before a player is ready to win one, yet Clark hadn’t finished better than T-75 in six previous starts.
It had undoubtedly been a breakthrough campaign for Clark, who won the Wells Fargo Championship and has established himself as a high-level talent, even before this week.
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