Wyndham Clark

Clark entered the week with plenty of momentum, posting a win and four other top-12 finishes since the beginning of March. The only question mark was his lack of previous success in major championships (four missed cuts, a T75 and T76). He certainly didn't look like a golfer that struggles on the big stage this week. His short game really shined, ranked 7th around-the-green and 4th in putting. It was an emotional win for Clark, "It was kind of a special vibe all week being here in LA. My parents got married at Riviera Country Club. I have some roots a little bit in this area. All I really wish is that my mom could be here and I could just hug her and we could celebrate together. But I know she's proud of me." It took him 134 events to break his maiden on the big stage but just three tournaments later he's already picked up a second. 

Clark went out in the afternoon but didn't deal with too tough of conditions. He took advantage of the relatively inviting weather with seven birdies and an eagle to erase a trio of bogeys. "I didn't hit it all that great, you know. In the fairway my iron game was a little suspect, but I putted great. I had some bogeys out there and I followed every bogey up with birdie so I thought mentally I was great." The stats back that up as he gained 3.1 strokes around-the-green and 1.9 strokes putting. It was a standout short-game clinic but he'll want to tidy up the striking if he wants to stay in the hunt for three more days. Clark is playing in his seventh career major and still searching for his first notable finish (T75 at the 2021 PGA Championship being his best).

Clark slept on the 54-hole lead, his second time doing that on the PGA TOUR (T7/2019 Honda Classic). He eased into Sunday with a bogey and six pars but didn't push too hard and left the birdies flow naturally. They certainly started to pour in with five birdies on an eight-hole stretch kicked off at the par-4 eighth,while Xander Schauffele was chasing him the whole time. "I've been in this situation a couple times and it's kind of prepared me for today. And obviously I didn't pull it off in the previous times, but I just kept leaning back on those experiences." This is Clark's first career PGA TOUR win, in his 134th start on the big stage. He's now fifth in the FedExCup race.

Clark was a heavy betting favorite to start the week and found himself just one shot off the pace heading into Sunday. He remained at the top of the board with birdies on four of his first seven holes today. The fun stopped there with bogeys at 8 and 12 and no more birdies by day's end. He likely left the course with some disappointment but Clark now has top 50s in 12 straight events, six of those doubling as top 20s. He's still on the hunt for his breakout win.