Wyndham Clark joins to talk on the PGA at Quail Hollow and why he’s played there so well
In the past. He won the Tour event there in 2023. Clark also shares some thoughts on the mental game and how he thinks under competition.
All right, joined by Windam Clark. And Windam, this is pretty cool. You got Quail Hollow coming up, a place that you’ve said in the past, you played some of your very best golf your entire career when you won there two years ago. What do you think about this for the PGA? Yeah, I’m excited. You know, I mean, obviously, it’s nice to go back to a course you’ve had success at. Uh, you know, for my game, it’s all about timing it up. I am definitely when I’m playing good, I can feel like I can play anywhere. But, uh, yeah, it’d be really nice to play good at a place I’ve already had success. What is it about Quail that seems to really fit your game overall? Um, well, I I play I feel like I play better at courses that visually stimulate me and I think that’s one of the prettiest golf courses we play. So many beautiful dog legs, riskreward par fives and um so I love that part of it. It’s a ball striking golf course for sure and you know it’s very tough around the green so you have to think a lot which I like courses that you have to think. So all that combined, it’s just it’s a it’s an amazing place and you know, obviously that’s where I got my first tour win. Well, when you say think a lot, I think about the mental game a little bit. And I know you’ve mentioned different things about observe but don’t judge. You know, certain little nuggets that you’ve gotten in the mental game over the years. What What are some things that help you in major championships when it comes to the mental game? Like in terms of just the right attitude or or those kinds of thoughts? Yeah, I mean I’m I’m continuing to learn. Obviously, I’ve had success in one major, but I’m trying to learn to be more consistent and and uh obviously try to win more majors. But what I’ve learned, especially in the one that I won at uh at LACC, was was exactly that is is being very objective and not so much in your feels and um you know, never let any bad shot dictate how you think or feel on the next ones or projecting something, you know, thinking, hey, this is how I think the day is going to go and how it should go rather than just, you know, I I was focusing on, okay, I’m just going to hit one shot and whatever happens happens and accept it and move on. And so that’s the biggest thing in majors, you know, you get ahead of yourself thinking, projecting, oh, I have a chance to win this or someone shoots six under the first first day and you think, oh, I have to go out and do this otherwise I’m going to get behind it. Or you start poorly and you think you’re out of the tournament and it’s not the case. You know, you just got to stay right around and you never know what could happen the last nine holes. What do you think it is? Is it like human nature that we tend to just kind of project like results kind of onto onto what’s in front of us or Yeah, I think people don’t have a real sense of reality and they kind of uh like they I think they I genuinely I think people always think they’re better than what they are. They think things should go a certain way rather than just saying, you know what, this is what it is and accepting that. And I’m I do that. I mean, I think especially golfers do that probably more than anyone is they just think, you know, I’m a great player. I should hit the shot good all the time. It’s like, well, that’s not the case. Look at all the past results or whatever. So, I don’t have any friends like that. Yeah. I mean, that’s all of us. So, it’s uh it’s funny how humans do that. But as you can if you can be more in the sense of like what is truth in golf and understanding, hey, you know what? going to hit bad shots, going to hit more bad shots in the future and accept that. But I’m also going to hit some great shots and it’s amazing if you just hang around come uh you know a Sunday back nine could be two, three, four back and you never know what could happen. You can still win the tournament. When you say back nine of a major championship, two, three, four back. There’s a lot of variables, but what what do you embrace about the pressure? What do you relish about the pressure of a major Sunday? Uh it’s just fun. I don’t know. It just seems so much more amplified and you know it’s the tournaments that we all watched growing up and then you have a chance to win one of them and it’s it’s almost a surreal feeling. It’s uh yeah there’s not there’s nothing like it. Well, speaking of things we’ve watched growing up, the Ryder Cup obviously you were part of there a couple years ago. What is it about that energy that you just really enjoyed from Rome then? Well, that that’s where golf becomes another sport. It’s really cool. It feels like you’re a football player or a basketball player or soccer player where you’re in a massive arena and people are yelling at you, both good and bad. And and uh it’s it’s truly where I think golf feels like another sport. And it’s um it’s so much fun for me playing other sports and and really enjoying watching all sports and then being in that atmosphere. It gives me, you know, gives me the goosebumps. It gives me that extra adrenaline and it’s there’s there’s no more fun. There’s nothing more fun than playing in Ryder Cups. Well, is camaraderie is that part of it, too? Like, what do you get from your teammates when you’re there? Yeah, I mean, we’re all trying to beat each other in day in and day out and um you know, we’re all friends, but at the end of the day, you’re like, I don’t want you to win, I want to win. But when you get into the RDER Cup, we’re all one team. And that’s what’s so cool is now you have a guy that normally maybe you’re not as close with or just want to beat him. Now you’re sharing information and you’re talking with each other on how to do the, you know, hit this shot and and he’s teaching you certain things that help him and you’re teaching him stuff and it’s so cool because you have 12 best players from the United States all talking and strategy and having fun and it really feels like a team and it’s it’s it’s it’s really cool. What’s the best part of the the team rooms there that you have? Uh gosh, I mean it’s just I just say the lightheartedness. Everyone is busting each other’s chops and just the amount of laughs and fun you have. You you you’re just the excitement and fun. There’s nothing like it. I mean, truthfully, it does feel like we’re a team. And uh contrary to what I think other people think, the United States is very close and especially the current one cuz we’re all young. We all grew up in the same same time frame playing high school and college golf together. So, it’s um yeah, it’s pretty cool. We’re getting rained on now, but one last question. Uh, US Open Oakmont. What do you think about that? It’s going to be tough. You know, I love Oakmont. It’s a beautiful place. I played there a couple times, but yeah, it’s going to be tough. Yeah. Well, great stuff, Windom. Always appreciate it, man. Awesome. Thank you.
