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Players Championship 2024: Wyndham Clark: “The shot and the putt that meant it all.”

Wyndham Clark at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Getty)
Wyndham Clark at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Wyndham Clark lost his lead on saturday at the Players Championship. While he was lapped by other players he himself made a deciding bogey on 17, when his first shot landed in the water.

Players Championship: Wyndham Clark on his moving day

Q. Did that feel like a pretty important bogey on 17? You seemed really pumped to make that putt. After a mistake like that, is it a big deal?

WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, it’s massive. It’s unfortunate on a hole that’s so iconic and has a bunch of trouble to have kind of your worst swing of the day. But yeah, I followed it with a great swing and a great putt. I’m in the final group tomorrow, which is huge.

I’m hoping that’s a huge point in the tournament and we look back after tomorrow and look at that hole and say, hey, that was maybe the shot and the putt that meant it all.

Q. Does not going to the drop area, is that your thing that you would always do, or is it a circumstances where the pin is?

WYNDHAM CLARK: Fortunately I went first and I had some time to think about it. I asked my caddie John, and he’s like, it’s just too close for us to be able to hit it — the easier shot was just redoing it. We had a good club. Honestly, I made a bad swing and chunked it, and if we went closer, I think it made it a tougher shot.

Q. Did you lose your focus?

WYNDHAM CLARK: No. I mean, I’m not throwing John under the bus by any means, but it was probably a perfect sand wedge. He thought if I nuked it, it could get on top. Kind of, as we were walking to put the ball down, he’s like, Let’s take a little off a full sand wedge. As I was over the ball I kind of got to the top and I was like, take a little off and then I just kind of deceled and chunked it. It wasn’t really a lack of focus or anything. It just was honestly a poor swing.

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Q. You shot 70, kind of felt like maybe your bad round, but to still be in the final group —

WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, exactly. I think everyone kind of has one round where they have to really grind it out and make those par putts and bogey putts or whatever it is. I felt like that was today. I’m hoping tomorrow I’ll wake up laser locked-in focused and can go have an awesome round and hopefully have a great finish here.

Q. I heard you talking to Todd. Did you feel like you lost focus at any point throughout the round?

WYNDHAM CLARK: No. I mean, gosh, it’s hard in a final group on a Saturday, and especially when everyone else is making a lot of birdies. Sometimes you can press and try to force the issue, and I thought I did an amazing job. If I make the par putt on 8 and make the birdie putt on 9, could have been a totally different round. I could be at 19 or 20, and we’d be having a different conversation.

I felt like I still played good golf. I hit a lot of good shots. Just seemed like a couple missed clubs, a couple missed putts. Other than that, I thought I played fine.

Q. How important was it for you to be in the final group? Does it feel a bit like Wells Fargo all over again?

WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, I always think it’s great to be in the final group and kind of know where everyone is at, so depending on what the circumstances are, you can either press it or play really smart coming in.

But yeah, it’s fun playing with Xander. He’s so good, and his caddie, we’re all good friends. It’s going to be fun tomorrow. He has the upper leg right now, and I’m hoping tomorrow I bring it and we can have some fireworks and play some great golf.

Q. What do you think makes him tough as a competitor?

WYNDHAM CLARK: He’s so consistent, and obviously you saw today the guy makes a lot of putts. Hopefully tomorrow he doesn’t make that many putts and I make some putts. I have a lot of respect for Xander’s game. He’s just so steady. He doesn’t really have any flaws.

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PGA Tour

The 17 of the Players Championship 2024: Record man Hossler completes 1000

Players Championship 2024: The view of the legendary hole 17 in the morning sun. (Photo: Getty)
Players Championship 2024: The view of the legendary hole 17 in the morning sun. (Photo: Getty)

Beau Hossler would certainly like to do without this entry in the history books: In his second round of the 2024 Players Championship, the American sank the 1000th ball in the water of the island green on the legendary 17th hole. At least Hossler is not alone with his second-round failure. We take a look at the statistics for the second day on the 17th hole.

Players Championship 2024: Record man Hossler and 13 balls sunk

Beau Hossler had a bad day in the second round of the Players Championship 2024. With his shot into the water on hole 17, the American recorded the 1000th ball sunk in the ShotLink era (since 2003). The direction of the shot actually looked very good, but the length proved to be his undoing, causing the ball to miss the target. Not only did Hossler inadvertently write himself into the tournament’s history books with this shot, he also added a bogey to the scorecard. With a round of 74, Hossler missed the cut (+1).

However, it wasn’t just Beau Hossler who had to contend with the legendary island green. After ten balls landed in the water on the 17th in the first round, 13 more followed the path into the cool water on day two. Chesson Hadley came closest to the hole on the 137-yards shot: 1 foot 8 inches. Without a hole-in-one like Ryan Fox’s the day before, the average score was 3.06 strokes – a slight improvement on the previous day. In total, the golfers recorded 28 birdies, 90 pars, 17 bogeys and three double bogeys. Four players even shot above that. US player Chris Kirk was able to secure a small positive record: Kirk found the green safely and played his 41st consecutive round without sinking a ball in the water on hole 17. He thus drew level with Jason Dufner, who has played the most rounds without a ball in the water on hole 17 since 2003.

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PGA Tour

The 17 of the Players Championship 2024: This is how many balls went down in round 1

The calm before the storm: The 17 in the morning sun. (Photo: Getty)
The calm before the storm: The 17 in the morning sun. (Photo: Getty)

The course at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach is not the favorite course of many golf pros for nothing. The course impresses with its challenging design and first-class conditions. The highlight of the course is hole 17, a par-3 where the ball has to be hit over a large pond directly onto the island green. The slightest mistake is severely punished: year after year, numerous balls go astray at the Players Championship, as even the pros miss the green from time to time.

Live blog of the Players Championship 2024

Ten balls disappeared into the water

About 127 yards had to be overcome in round 1 of the Players Championship 2024. The flag was stuck on the front edge of the green, which made the approach even more difficult. Out of 138 players who passed the hole before the interruption due to darkness on the first day, ten players sank their ball in the water. It was particularly annoying for Sam Ryder, whose ball missed the hole by a hair’s breadth before rolling into the water (double bogey). Tom Kim, who was playing with a fever of over 39 degrees and gave up shortly afterwards, also sank his ball in the water (triple bogey).

Nevertheless, there was great jubilation on the par-3. 23 players mastered the hole with a birdie, but were eclipsed by Ryan Fox. Fox achieved what most golfers dream of: he holed out for a hole-in-one. With just the right amount of backspin, his ball rolled straight into the hole after landing. In combination with another eagle, which he scored on the 16th, Fox is the first player in the history of the tournament to achieve two double stroke wins in a row.

In addition to the ace and the 23 birdies, there were a total of 86 pars, 20 bogeys, seven double bogeys and Tom Kim’s triple bogey. This results in an average score of 3.087, which is slightly higher than last year’s 3.03. Last year, almost twice as many balls landed in the water: a total of 16.

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PGA Tour

Video: From near ace to double bogey at the 2024 Players Championship

Sam Ryder at th 2024 Players Championship. (Photo: Getty)
Sam Ryder at th 2024 Players Championship. (Photo: Getty)

That’s golf: just millimeters away from one of the greatest moments of your golf career to a costly double bogey in just a few minutes. When Sam Ryder teed off on the famous signature hole, the 17th, in round 1 of the 2024 Players Championship, thousands of fans cheered him on.

Live Blog of the Players Championship 2024

Hole 17 – the highlight of the Players Championship 2024

Hole 17 of the TPC Sawgrass – the dreaded island green of the course, which has been the undoing of many a player. While Ryan Fox was able to celebrate an ace on this special hole on Thursday, things turned out differently for Sam Ryder. His ball headed straight for the flag after hitting the green and missed it by a hair’s breadth. The back spin that Ryder had put on the ball then drove the ball off the green, over the narrow edge of the rough and into the water. In the end, Ryder recorded an annoying 5 on the par-3. He found a conciliatory finish with a birdie on the 18th and is tied 37th after round 1.

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PGA Tour

Viktor Hovland: “I don’t want to spend my free time thinking about the PGA Tour”

Viktor Hovland doesn't trouble with thinking to much about the PGA Tour's future. (Image: Getty)
Viktor Hovland doesn't trouble with thinking to much about the PGA Tour's future. (Image: Getty)

In the week before the Players Championship, Jay Monahan and Rory McIlroy spoke up to the future of the PGA Tour. More fan engagement, ongoing chats with the PIF and the new alliance with the SSG were in discussion. For Viktor Hovland all these topics are important, but the Norwegian doesn’t keep up with all the new twists and turns happening on the PGA Tour right now.

Viktor Hovland on Jay Monahan: “I want a person to take ownership of their mistakes”

“The thing is, like, I play golf for a living. I don’t know exactly what should have been done because at the end of the day I don’t have all the information”, Hovland said when being asked about Jay Monahans and Rory Mclroys latest statement regarding the PGA Tour’s future.

“As a leader of an organization, I will want a person like that to take some ownership and say, hey, we made a couple of mistakes, but this is how we’re going to rectify it, instead of kind of sweeping it under the rug, which I felt like has been done to a certain degree”, he goes on.

Click here for the live blog of the Players Championship 2024

With the talk shifting to the possible futures of the PGA Tour and the new PGA Tour Enterprises Hovland doesn’t give mich tought into these developments. “These Signature Events, for example, they have been great for the players that are in the tournaments. I don’t know if that’s necessarily what the fans want to watch.”

On the contrary Hovland agrees to a comment from tour colleague Lucas Glover. “I’ve read Lucas Glover’s comments last week where he said having the smaller field sizes are not making it more competitive. Yes, you’re getting the best players to play, the top guys to show up, but the fields are more competitive when you have bigger field sizes. I think that’s just the fact. There’s a reason why we’re playing THE PLAYERS Championship with 144 guys.”

Hovland agrees with McIlroy in one point. “I don’t think it’s a great outlook if we keep being divided (with LIV Golf) for 10, 15 years, whatever, however long it’s going to take. There has to be some kind of decision being made in the future.” Hovland leaves open what this future might look like.

Should Hovland be more invested in this topic?

The overall impression of Viktor Hovland in terms of the PGA Tour’s development is a leaned back attitude. “Probably there’s definitely a responsibility on my side. I could have definitely gone out of my way to put more time and effort into figuring out what kind of trajectory we’re on and put myself into that debate a bit more.” But with Players like Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods and other well known names in the Players Advisory Counsil Hovland doesn’t feel the need to stay up to date at all times. “Although, I do trust the players on the PAC to represent the players in the best way possible and I have been in communication with some of those guys to fill me in. But at the same time, I’m just not that interested in spending my free time in trying to figure out every single nuance in the situation. So, I’m trying to stay outside a little bit and play my game, because, yeah, I trust the guys on the board to kind of do their thing.”

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PGA Tour

Players Championship: Rory McIlroy tired of uncertainty

Rory McIlroy talks about his next Major title. (Image: Getty)
Rory McIlroy talks about his next Major title. (Image: Getty)

After Jay Monahan’s press conference regarding the future of the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy agrees with his decision to stay in the lead of the Tour and the new PGA Tour Enterprises. In McIlroys Wednesday press conference, prior to the Players Championship, he emphasises the importance of bringing the game back together and move on. McIlroy oppend up about his difficulties winning another Major and if he thinks he can capture his next Major-Title this year.

Click here for the live blog of the Players Championship 2024

Can Rory McIlroy win another Major?

Here’s his opinion on how the pressure added up over the last ten years without a Major title: “It does, but then at the same time, I look at my record in the majors over the last couple of years, and I’ve definitely started to perform much more consistently in them.”

“Look, I’m under no illusion that the clock is ticking and it has been 10 years since I’ve won one of them, and I’ve had chances, and those just haven’t went my way. I just need to keep putting myself in those positions, and sooner or later it’s going to happen.”

Rory McIlroy defends Jay Monahan

“You look at what Jay has done since he took over,” McIlroy said in the Wednesday press conference in TPC Sawgrass. “The media rights deal, navigating us through COVID, the strategic alliance with the DP World Tour. I would say creating PGA Tour Enterprises, we were just able to accept a billion and a half dollars in the business, people can nit-pick and say he didn’t do this right or didn’t do that right, but if you actually step back and look at the bigger picture, I think the PGA Tour is in a far stronger position than when Jay took over.”

Monahan spoke about the new alliance with the SSG (Strategic Sports Group) and the new funds coming with the newly created PGA Tour Enterprises. Tough informations regarding the PIF are highly requested Monahan did hold back and just stated, that meetings were “accelerating”.

Rory McIlroy: “We need to get this thing over and done”

Like many fans and players, Rory McIlroy urges the policy board and PGA Tour Enterprises to come to a conclusion and to “get this thing over and done”, falling right in line with his latest statements about the LIV Golf Tour and Liv players getting involved in the Ryder Cup and a potential World Tour.

“I feel grateful that I was on the PGA Tour board at the point in time when I was. I feel like it will stand to me down the line if I ever want to get deeper into the business side of things, whether that’s in golf or in other domains. It’s different now, though. You’ve got two boards on Tour. One is really a business board, and sort of that priority is growing the growth of the business of the PGA Tour, and then the policy board, which I was on, was about making rules and slow play and whatever else.”

“The business board to me would be something — if an opportunity came along in the future and I felt like it was the right time, would maybe be something that I would like to get involved in again.”

“We need to improve fan experience”

Like Jay Monahan, Rory McIlroy talked about enhancing the fan experience. “Yeah, so to me, like this is the problem with a members’ organization. Things are created for the members. Then once those things are created, you’ve got to go sell those things to fans, sponsors, media.” 

“To me, that seems a little backwards. I think what needs to happen is you need to create things for the fans, for the sponsors, for the media, and then you have to go sell that to the players, tell them to get on board with that, because if they get on board and we’re all part of the business now, if the business does better, we do better. That seems pretty simple to me.”

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Live PGA Tour

Watch: PGA Tour highlights from the 3 round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational

tour-highlight-video-arnold-palmer-invitational-2024
The PGA Tour highlights in video. (Photo: Getty)

As an esteemed event of the PGA Tour, the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard is currently underway at the Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge situated in Orlando, Florida, USA.

In the light of the tournament’s third round, there is a compelling development on the leaderboard. As it is, Scottie Scheffler (USA) and Shane Lowry (IRL) are sharing the top position with a total score of 207 (-9). Wyndham Clark (USA) with a total score of 208 (-8) stands at the third position. Following closely are Will Zalatoris (USA), Russell Henley (USA), and Hideki Matsuyama (JPN), sharing the fourth position with the total score of 209 (-7).

For the day, Harris English (USA) and Rory McIlroy (NIR) stand out with the best daily score of -4, placing them at the seventh and the eighth position overall, respectively. Following them, Justin Lower (USA) and Tom Hoge (USA) hold the impressive daily score of -3, placing them tied at the eleventh position on the total board.

The coveted tournament awards a total prize money of $20,000,000. The fourth round will further intensify the competition, with the top golfers battling for the tournament victory.

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Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: The PGA Tour 3 round highlights

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Highlights Tours Live

Watch: PGA Tour highlights from round 2 of the Arnold Palmer Invitational

The PGA Tour highlights in video. (Photo: Getty)
The PGA Tour highlights in video. (Photo: Getty)

The PGA Tour unfolds into yet another fascinating day at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. The tournament takes place in Orlando, Florida, USA at the Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge. The $20,000,000 prize pool serves as a testament to the prestige of this tournament, appealing to the competitive spirit of the golfers. Spectators and golf enthusiasts can expect to see the PGA Tour Highlights from this captivating event.

As round 2 concludes, the leaderboard has interesting developments. The top five positions display a quintet tie. Several players, namely Shane Lowry from Ireland, Hideki Matsuyama from Japan, Russell Henley and Brian Harman, both from USA, and finally Wyndham Clark, also from USA all stand at T1, total score being -7.

The daily score of some players has been remarkable during this round. Wyndham Clark from USA tops the list with -6. He is followed by Brian Harman from USA scoring -4 and Russell Henley from USA achieving -3.

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Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: The PGA Tour round 2 highlights

About the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is the largest American professional golf tour. There are 36 tournaments on the tour’s schedule this season. The tournaments mainly take place in the USA, but there are also some international venues over the course of the season. The signature events introduced in 2023 offer higher prize money and a smaller field of participants. There will be a total of eight of these events in the 2024 season. The four Majors and the Players Championship are also part of the PGA Tour. At the end of the tours season, the 70 best players in the FedEx Cup season rankings will play in a three-tournament play-off for overall tour victory and an extra 18 million dollars in prize money.

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Highlights Tours Live

Watch: PGA Tour highlights from round 2 of the Puerto Rico Open

The PGA Tour highlights of the Puerto Rico Open 2024. (Photo: Getty)
The PGA Tour highlights of the Puerto Rico Open 2024. (Photo: Getty)

The PGA Tour is currently staging the Puerto Rico Open at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. A noteworthy event celebrated within the lush greens of the scenic Grand Reserve Golf Club.

As the tournament clocks round 2 in, Joe Highsmith from USA clearly stands at the top of the leaderboard at position 1 with a total score of -13. Closely following are Matti Schmid from Germany, Kevin Streelman from USA, Rafael Campos from Puerto Rico, and Ryo Hisatsune from Japan, all tied at position 2 with a total score of -12.

The round of the day was played by Matti Schmid, Erik Barnes, and Jimmy Stanger with a daily score of -7. These excellent performances contribute to the Puerto Rico Open highlights and make the tournament even more compelling to watch.

This event from the PGA Tour roster carries a prize fund of $4,000,000.

The following video provides an encapsulation of the PGA Tour highlights from round 2 of the Puerto Rico Open. From stunning shots to impressive putts, the video compilation presents the best moments from the tournament so far.

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Puerto Rico Open: The PGA Tour second round highlights

About the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is the largest American professional golf tour. There are 36 tournaments on the tour’s schedule this season. The tournaments mainly take place in the USA, but there are also some international venues over the course of the season. The signature events introduced in 2023 offer higher prize money and a smaller field of participants. There will be a total of eight of these events in the 2024 season. The four Majors and the Players Championship are also part of the PGA Tour. At the end of the tours season, the 70 best players in the FedEx Cup season rankings will play in a three-tournament play-off for overall tour victory and an extra 18 million dollars in prize money.

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Highlights Tours Live

Watch: PGA Tour highlights from the first round of the Puerto Rico Open

The first round highlights of the PGA Tours Puerto Rico Open 2024. (Photo: Getty)
The first round highlights of the PGA Tours Puerto Rico Open 2024. (Photo: Getty)

It’s time to check in on the highlights from the current PGA Tour tournament, the Puerto Rico Open, held in Rio Grande at the Grand Reserve Golf Club. For golf enthusiasts, the first round of the Puerto Rico Open offered some top-notch golfing.

In the top five spots, Scott Piercy, Joe Highsmith, Brice Garnett, Garrick Higgo, and Erik Barnes all showcased impressive golf skills. Scott Piercy and Joe Highsmith, both from the USA, have tied for first place, both boasting a total score of -7. Brice Garnett (USA), Garrick Higgo (RSA), and Erik Barnes (USA) all came in close behind the leading golfers with a total score of -6.

$4,000,000 are at stake for the participants of the Puerto Rico Open, as they navigate the challenges of the Grand Reserve Golf Club.

The ‘Puerto Rico Open Highlights’ video is a compilation which includes all the noteworthy moments from today’s round, offering viewers an insight into the round’s best shots.

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Puerto Rico Open: The PGA Tour 1 round highlights

About the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is the largest American professional golf tour. There are 36 tournaments on the tour’s schedule this season. The tournaments mainly take place in the USA, but there are also some international venues over the course of the season. The signature events introduced in 2023 offer higher prize money and a smaller field of participants. There will be a total of eight of these events in the 2024 season. The four Majors and the Players Championship are also part of the PGA Tour. At the end of the tours season, the 70 best players in the FedEx Cup season rankings will play in a three-tournament play-off for overall tour victory and an extra 18 million dollars in prize money.

This article was generated using AI.