CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Seeing as it’s Coronation weekend across the pond in the United Kingdom, it’s only fitting a first-time PGA Tour winner would be crowned in the Queen City.
After five long years, the wait is over for Wyndham Clark.
Clark held a two-shot lead over world No. 5 Xander Schauffele and said after Saturday’s third round he was looking forward to the challenge of a high-stakes final round and was curious how he’d handle the pressure. The 29-year-old shot a 4-under 67 on Sunday at Quail Hollow to win by five shots over Schauffele for his maiden victory on Tour.
Schauffele, 29, shot a 1-under 70 on Sunday to finish runner-up at 15 under and inside the top five for the fifth time this season. Harris English (69) and Tyrrell Hatton (70) finished T-3 at 12 under.
WELLS FARGO: Leaderboard | Best shots
Clark bogeyed the first hole and Schauffele birdied the third to tie the lead at 15 under before he briefly took the solo lead with another birdie on the par-5 7th hole, the second easiest hole of the week. It didn’t take long for Clark to respond with his first birdie of the day on No. 8, and a Schauffele bogey on the ninth returned the lead to Clark with nine holes to play.
Clark extended the lead to two with a birdie on the par-5 10th, and after a poor tee shot on the 11th found the pine straw among the trees, he managed a crucial up-and-down from the greenside bunker to save par and increase his lead to three after a bad Schauffele bogey. He then took a four-shot lead with six to play with a birdie on No. 12.
Both players made consecutive birdies on Nos. 14 and 15, but Schauffele’s third bogey of the day on the par-3 17th gave Clark a five-shot lead and the win.
Play big
Remembering his mom, these are words @Wyndham_Clark lives by on and off the course.
He looks to play big today as he chases his first win on TOUR @WellsFargoGolf. pic.twitter.com/5o6h5UaGuf
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 7, 2023
While Clark may not be a household name, if you’ve been paying attention this season you’d know a victory was coming sooner rather than later for the Scottsdale, Arizona, resident. After a career-best Players Championship finish earlier this year in March (T-27), Clark has consistently been in the mix ever since with consecutive finishes of 5-6-T29-3-T24 entering this week. In 19 starts this season, Clark now has nine top-25 finishes, with six inside the top 10.
As the PGA Tour’s ninth designated event of the season, the 156-player field was competing for a $20 million purse. Clark took home the top prize of $3.6 million, a whopping seven times more than his previous largest paycheck on Tour, $485,000 after a 10th-place finish at the 2023 WM Phoenix Open.
The win doesn’t just earn Clark a massive payday, it also earns him his first-ever Masters invitation for the 2024 event at Augusta National.
