Wyndham Clark survives mishap on what many consider the most pivotal hole at TPC Scottsdale
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The 17th hole at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course is typically a pivotal location during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open, one that more often than not can lead to disaster.
Wyndham Clark made sure it wasn't during Thursday's first round.
Clark tapped in for birdie on the par-5 15th to get to 7 under and take the outright lead. He then just missed another birdie on the raucous 16th. After walking through the tunnel under the grandstands to the 17th tee box, Clark admitted there was a slight disagreement with his caddie ahead of his next tee shot.
"A little caddie-player mishap there," is how Clark described the discussion with John Ellis. "He thought if I drew it, it would go too far, so then we wanted more of a straight shot, so I was kind of in between shots and made a poor swing."
That poor swing led to an overcooked draw and he could only watch as it went splashdown in the lake. But that didn't ruin his round. After taking his drop, his chip from 56 yards out to 16 inches set up a par save. He then parred the last to perserve his 7 under score and his one-shot lead after 18 holes.
His initial reaction after his tee ball on 17 was a burst of anger but he settled in and called upon his mental game, which was especially needed coming off a recent rough stretch, one in which included a tie for 73rd at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am one year after winning it.
"I was very discouraged. It's been a pretty crappy few, three weeks but also maybe what I needed to kind of get me back into a better mental spot to reset and kind of go back to maybe some original things that helped me a few years ago. That's kind of what I did this week," he said. And it's something he did as he walked down the fairway on 17 to take his drop.
"Was that recovery off the tee shot at 17 an example of staying positive?," he was asked.
"Yes, 100 percent," he answered.
Clark was tied for 15th out of the limited field Sentry. A missed cut at the American Express followed two weeks later. Then the disappointing outing at Pebble.
But now this. The Colorado native who know lives about 10 minutes away from TPC Scottsdale is off and running in his adopted hometown.
"I'm really proud of my home city and state, and there's not many Denver golfers out on the PGA Tour, so I really rep it," he said. "But for this one, living here, I've been here for almost six years. He [the starter] even looked at me, and he goes, 'I'm putting Scottsdale', and I said, 'Oh, perfect'. That's fine. It was kinda nice."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: WM Phoenix Open 2025: Wyndham Clark shoots 64, leads by one after Day 1
