Wyndham Clark Jumps into the Top 12 with First PGA Tour Win

It wasn't too long ago that Wyndham Clark was starting to get frustrated with his game.

But the 29-year-old never lost sight of the task at hand — and now, he can finally call himself a PGA Tour winner.

Clark held off Xander Schauffele at Quail Hollow Golf Club for a four-stroke victory in the Wells Fargo Championship — the ninth designated event of the Tour season.

"It's surreal," Clark, who finished at 19 under, said after the final round. "I've dreamt about this since I was probably 6 years old. Since I've been on the PGA Tour, you fantasize about it all the time, and I've done it multiple times this year where I catch myself daydreaming about winning, and to do it at this golf course against this competition is better than I could ever have imagined."

Clark started the final round with a two-stroke advantage over Schauffele, but the 2020 Olympic gold medalist seized the lead after seven holes. Clark, however, would snatch the lead back and never relinquish it again, playing his last 11 holes in 4 under en route to victory.

Clark's game had been trending upward coming into the week. He posted three top-10s in his last five starts and hasn't missed a cut since October. Then, at Quail Hollow, the 2017 Pac-12 Player of the Year at Oregon got over the hump at last.

"I was beginning to think that maybe I'll never win," Clark said. "I know that sounds crazy because I've only been out here five years, but I had a lot of chances to where I was within two or three shots either going into the back nine or starting on a Sunday and I always seem to fall short. ... I really learned from those experiences and I felt like today when I didn't have the best start early on, I just told myself to relax."

Now that Clark has knocked the monkey off his back, maybe more career accolades will come. The Denver, Colorado, native rose from 30th to 11th in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings with his maiden Tour win.

Schauffele, meanwhile, notched his best finish of the season at the same venue in which he dazzled for Team USA last year at the Presidents Cup. And with his runner-up to Clark, Schauffele increased his chances of shining for the U.S. again — this time at the Ryder Cup — moving from 10th to third in the U.S. standings, inside the top-6 automatic qualifying threshold.

One spot below Schauffele on the Wells Fargo leaderboard was Harris English. A member of the 2021 U.S. squad at Whistling Straits, English jumped four spots to No. 15 in the U.S. standings with his second top-3 finish of the year.

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English's and Schauffele's former Ryder Cup teammate, Justin Thomas, got within three strokes of the lead on Sunday. However, Thomas carded four bogeys on the back nine and finished T-14. He still climbed one spot on the U.S. points list to No. 8.

However, with the year’s second major — the PGA Championship — a week away, and a whole summer of golf yet to be played, there’s plenty of time for a player to change the trajectory of their season — or career.

So if anyone’s feeling frustrated with where their game is at, Clark’s triumph at Quail Hollow can serve as motivation.

“Max Homa has a great quote — every golfer's one shot away from thinking they can win the Masters or one shot away from quitting golf,” Clark said. “It really is a great quote because that's the truth. I'm glad I stuck it out and am here now.”

Crediti foto: Getty Images

U.S. Team Captain Zach Johnson first announced the 2023 qualifying structure last year. Points in 2023 are awarded as follows:

- 1 point per $1,000 earned at regular PGA Tour events beginning January 1, including the Zurich Classic and WGC events, through the BMW Championship (August 20)

- 2 points per $1,000 earned for winner of the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- 1.5 points per $1,000 earned for all others that make the cut at the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open

- No points available at PGA Tour opposite-field events

Points qualification will conclude immediately after the second FedEx Cup Play-Off event (BMW Championship) on August 20, 2023, with the top six eligible players on the points list securing spots on the U.S. Team.

The six remaining slots on the U.S. Team will be Captain’s Selections and will be announced by Johnson following the 2023 Tour Championship.

For a full list of the Top 100 in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings, click here.