Wyndham Clark exits Round 2 of Players due to neck injury
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Wyndham Clark withdrew from the Players Championship on Friday afternoon after 27 holes because of a neck injury.
Clark, who opened with an even-par 72 on Thursday, shot 4-over 40 on the front nine before he was seen shaking hands with playing partners Jordan Spieth and Danny Walker (who replaced Jason Day when he withdrew prior to the first round) before the group reached the 10th tee.
The 2023 U.S. Open champion came within a lip-out putt of facing Scottie Scheffler in a playoff at last year’s Players. Clark said this week that the loss from last year still hurts and that he still feels like he “kind of gave that one away.”
“It’s tough because sometimes your expectations get skewed either by the media or outside people,” Clark said Tuesday. “My thing is, I’m just trying to get back into playing good golf and enjoying it and not raising those expectations because they have been raised a little bit. I feel like it’s hurt me a little bit.”
Clark also admitted that being a major winner has now put a kind of pressure on him that he’s also put on himself. Though he won the storm-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last year, he also missed six cuts. This year, he has yet to have a top-10 finish.
“For me, it has been frustrating. It’s funny how you have success and you win a major, you win some tournaments and then everyone expects you to do that all the time,” Clark said. “When I am enjoying myself on the golf course, I feel like I’m maximizing those things. I’m having fun with my caddie. I’m really embracing the moment. Those are things I’m trying to get back to because I think I play my best golf when I’m in that state of mind. I’m hoping I’m there this week, and if not, I’m hoping I’m building towards getting there in the coming weeks.”
Source: espn.com