THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 14, 2024

Wyndham Clark

TPC Sawgrass

Quick Quotes

Q. You hit a lot of greens today. Is that what you've learned that you have to do out here?

WYNDHAM CLARK: I mean, ideally you hit 16 every tournament. But yeah, this golf course is so challenging actually around the greens just because you find yourself with really tough little chips and pitches that are get it up quick, stop it quick, or long rolling chips that have to go up and down ridges. So to hit greens, it really alleviates a lot of the stress that can be out here in the rounds.

Hitting 16, I'm pretty ecstatic about.

Q. The first couple of years were tough out here. You made some progress last year. Are you starting to feel more comfortable out here?

WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah. For me this golf course has always kind of given me some fits. But I think it's a course that as long as you -- you just learn. I think you get more and more comfortable hitting, let's say, the second shot into 16 or more comfortable hitting the tee shot on 18 or even the shot on 17. So after playing it now I think four or five times, I feel just more comfortable out there, and when I got to those holes that normally gave me a lot of fits, I stepped up and hit good shots.

Q. The scores were low today, but is this golf course ever easy?

WYNDHAM CLARK: No, it's not. You're spot on on that. It doesn't matter -- it really doesn't matter what the conditions are, and today was about as perfect as it gets out here. Yet you still have to hit -- there's so many demanding tee shots, a lot of demanding second shots, and then the greens were really fast.

It requires a lot of attention, so if you're playing good, I think you can score well, but if you're off a little bit, you could easily shoot 2-, 3-over and find yourself way behind everyone.

Q. We just keep seeing your name on leaderboards at big events. Why do you think that is in this past year?

WYNDHAM CLARK: I don't know. I just think I'm starting to just feel more comfortable out here, and I've been working really hard, and just maybe the timing is right.

But I don't really have an answer for that. I hope it stays that way because it's been nice.

Q. With that comfort, do you look at the past 12 months as breeding more confidence in your game, or has the confidence always been there and the results are now just catching up?

WYNDHAM CLARK: It's a little bit of both. I think I've always thought I could be where I'm at right now. But I was lacking a lot of things in my game and mental stuff, and my confidence was starting to dwindle because I hadn't broken through and played well consistently or won, and now that I am doing that, it's kind of back to where I thought I could be.

It's a little bit of both, to be honest.

Q. Do you look at the World Ranking?

WYNDHAM CLARK: No, I really don't look at much ranking. I didn't even know that I moved up last week. Someone told me.

Like I've said in a few interviews before, I used to worry so much about that stuff and was not getting the results I wanted. Now I really focus on my internal stuff, and I'm getting the results and the things I want.

Q. You mentioned a couple of holes might have given you fits in the past and you stepped up and hit shots. Are 5 and 7 examples today? Pretty tough holes and you hit it close.

WYNDHAM CLARK: Well, 5 is just such a demanding tee shot, and today in and off the left. I've always kind of struggled on that hole, so that was really good. 7, yeah, if you look at the past, I have not played that hole very well, and I hit two superb shots in there and made a nice putt.

So, yeah, for sure those ones have kind of given me fits on the front. Honestly, every hole in the past has given me some issues, and I think my game is in a better spot, my head is in a better spot, so when I get out there, I don't really have those heebie-jeebies that maybe I used to have out here.