Wyndham Clark, the most mental champion of the US Open

neither Rory McIlroy (2nd), Scottie Scheffler (3rd), Cameron Smith (4th), Rickie Fowler (5th), Dustin Johnson (10th). Except for Fowler, all majors winners. He champion of the 123 US Open in Los Angeles is a 29-year-old boy from Denver, and a neighbor in Scottsdale (Arizona) of Jon Rahm (10th): Wyndham Clark.

American baggage in grand slam before coming to LACC it was six played, with four missed cuts and a 75th-best result. On Sunday, in the seventh attempt, he covered the US Open signing par 70 and 280 (-10) total after solving some incredible situations in a brutal short game.

Sure, under normal conditions, McIlroy would have won the US Open with a 2-3 shot lead, but Clark around the green was pure magic. He is the fifth golfer in history to win the US Open with a final score in double digits. before him, Rory in 2011 (-16), Brooks Koepka in 2017 (-16), Gary Woodland in 2019 (-13) and Tiger Woods in 2000 (-12).

Five years ago he came to the PGA Tour and was not satisfied with the results. “I’m very angry because I thought I could beat the others, but I couldn’t and my result was lower than I expected,” he told reporters next to the trophy.

Clark, born in 1993, was one of the brightest college students of his time, but he was about to give up golf. At Oklahoma State, he was the star of the team but became depressed after the death of his mother, a victim of breast cancer. “Golf affected me. Off the field I acted normal, trying to get over it but not showing it, but all my pain and anguish poured into the competition. I would get desperate at the first bad shot, break the clubs, scream… I couldn’t play,” explained Clark.

That was then his trainer, Mike McGrawHe tells her to give up golf for a while, forget about the competition until she gets over her mother’s death. It was not an easy decision for the coach, because he did without his star, and Clark himself did not take it well at first.

“I was very angry. I want to compete, I want to win and I don’t understand why I have to stop. Over time I understood that it was for the best and I am very grateful to Mike. It helped me a lot. If he didn’t stop, who knows if he wouldn’t have quit,” he added.

In 2016, he transferred from Oklahoma to the University of Oregon. He met her there Casey Martin, the head coach, Key person. “He taught me that I was one of the best players in the world and told me: ‘You are good enough to win anywhere.’ I had my best year ever. He instilled in me the confidence that maybe I had lost,” he said.

It was there, in Oregon, that he forged his champion spirit. His first win came at Wells Fargo 40 days ago. “I’ve been heading in the right direction for a long time. I feel like I’m one of the best players in the world. I’m very competitive. I want to win everyone, but also be friends with everyone. I am a pretty humble and calm person. I will celebrate it,” he said.

Finally, he spoke about the last two important moments in his life. “I worked with great coaches and they were very good at what they did, but I decided to go it alone and I learned about my game and my swing.” then, Julie’s irruption, her mental trainer. “I’m glad my caddy and agent told me in November, ‘Hey, we have a girl we think you should work with.’ I was a bit reluctant, but in these six months, it’s crazy to see how much it’s helped me. I never thought I would be a champion.”