This time last year, Wyndham Clark rolled into the Open at Royal Liverpool as US Open champ. This week, ahead of the 152nd Open at Royal Troon, Clark was not even among the 15 betting favourites, checking in at $60 or higher on most pre-tournament odds.
That was odd given Clark had started to show some form again, posting consecutive top 10s at the Travelers Championship and last week’s Scottish Open. Clark has notoriously been disrespected by the oddsmakers since his US Open triumph, but that number was still a bit shocking.
Well, somebody must have known something, because Clark finished up his second round in 153rd place, which is currently second-to-last ahead of only Todd Hamilton, the 2004 Open champ. Clark shot a nine-over 80 on Friday, the lowlight of the day coming at the par-4 15th, where Clark’s drive found some high grass and he proceeded to advance his second shot all of two yards.
A painful watch, to say the least:
Nice lie for his third shot. There’s that.
Clark did quite well to make five from there, avoiding what could have been his fifth score of six or worse during his second round. That’s right, Clark made two sixes and two sevens on Friday, the ugliest of the bunch coming at the par-4 12th where he left two shots in a fairway bunker:
This secures Clark’s third missed cut in the majors this year, his only result a T56 in the US Open at Pinehurst last month. Can’t say anybody saw that coming after he began 2024 with a win in the rain-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and back-to-back runners-up at Bay Hill and the Players Championship.
