"Just some dumb mistake" - Wyndham Clark left 'frustrated' after mediocre start to Tour Championship

Wyndham Clark has teed off the final 2024 FedEx Cup Playoffs event - the Tour Championship. Ranked fifth in the world, he heads into the second round eight strokes behind solo leader, Scottie Scheffler.

The 30-year-old fired up a four under par 67 score on the opening day. With the PGA Tour's Strokes System for the Playoffs, he sits tied for fourth place with a score of eight under par. He shares the position with Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Hideki Matsuyama, and Keegan Bradley.

However, Clark said in his post-round press conference he was not too pleased with his performance at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.

"I played nicely. Unfortunately just some dumb mistakes that I keep doing on the course that keep me from having great rounds. Frustrated with how I finished. But all in all, not bad," Wyndham Clark said.

Clark went on to name a specific hole that he was unhappy with, the East Lake Golf Club's par four fourth hole. The three-time PGA Tour winner went on to card in double bogey on the hole following three back-to-back pars. His tee shot had found the trees to the right of the hole. He was not faced with a clear shot out and was forced to play a recovery shot. His second shot went further into the woods.

Clark also named the 16th and 18th holes as a struggle. The three holes were the only holes that saw the PGA Tour sensation card in a bogey or worse for the day.

"Yeah, it was 4. It's 16, it's 18. Just keep making stupid bogeys. I'm struggling to score out here. If I figure out how to put it together, I'd really be tough to beat," Wyndham Clark said.

Wyndham Clark's 2024 Tour Championship Round 1

Here's a look at Wyndham Clarks' stats for the opening round of the 2024 Tour Championship along with his rankings in each stat among the 30-player field mentioned in parentheses:

Strokes Gained - Off the Tee: 0.461 (7)
Strokes Gained - Approach to Green: 1.569 (6)
Strokes Gained - Around the Green: -1.598 (29)
Strokes Gained - Putting: 1.035 (9)
Strokes Gained - Total: 1.467 (T7)
Driving Accuracy - 57.14 percent [8/14 fairways hit] (T13)
Average Driving Distance - 308.90 yards (23)
Longest Drive - 338 yards (17)
Greens in Regulation - 77.78 percent [14/18 greens hit in regulation] (T5)
Scrambling - 50 percent [2/4 successful up and downs from off the green] (T24)
Putts per GIR - 1.57 putts (6)
Total Feet of Putts Made - 131 feet (1)
Eagles - 1 (T1)
Birdies - 6 (T6)
Pars - 8 (T29)
Bogeys - 2 (T12)
Double Bogeys - 1 (T26)

About the author

Lathika is one of the newer additions to Sportskeeda’s budding golf journalism team and has brought plenty of in-game experience to the role. Having been a golfer for over 12 years now, some of her crowning achievements include winning titles on the Indian Golf Union Ladies tour and Junior Girls Amateur tour.

She currently competes in Division 1 golf in New York, and hopes to play in the U.S. Open and Chevron Championship one day. She is set to cover the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management, and holds a Sports Marketing certification from Northwestern University, which helped her learn to draft press releases and ultimately transition into journalism.

Lathika has thus developed a knowledge base that allows her to view golf from both player, spectator and media lenses, enabling her to bring statistics, insights and an understanding of fan emotion together in her copies. She only uses verified information from reliable sources like the PGA TOUR.

Her favorite golfers are Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods, both for their playing style as well as their mental strength. Much of her time away from work is spent playing golf, but she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and learning new hobbies or upskilling.

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Edited by Aayush Kapoor