Photograph by Thierry Des Fontaines june 2019 | golfdigest.com 53
“If you’re a little bit off,someone else is always on.”ment—but he said I had a gift
that would be wasted if I didn’t
put in the work. At dinner he’d
ask, “How’d you get better to-
day?” and I learned to always
have an answer.
● ● ●
success came early for
me. I won my first of two state
amateurs at 15. I made our var-
sity basketball team as a fresh-
man but quit the following year
to focus on golf. It was apparent
which game would be my ticket
to a great education, and maybe
more. I had friends who were
similarly focused. Of about 20
of us, a dozen went on to play
Division I sports. And Chris-
tian McCaffrey is now the star
running back for the Carolina
Panthers.
● ● ●
when i was 16, i played the
pacific coast amateur
at eugene country club
in oregon. Typically, host
families are older couples, often
empty-nesters, but I was as-
signed to Jeff and Jamie Gaskill.Jeff is in the construction busi-
ness. He and his wife were in
their early 30s, no kids yet, and
we had tons of fun. After every
round, we played pool, shot
hoops, went swimming, made
up contests. When I returned
to Oregon for recruiting trips,
I’d stay with the Gaskills. Jeff
and I kept in touch even after
I decided to go to OSU.
● ● ●
at osu, if you’re a little
off, someone else is al-
ways on. As one of the top pro-
grams in the country, a spot in
the lineup is never secure. As I
struggled after my mom’s death,
I lost confidence in my golf. I
thought the world of Coach and
the guys, but I needed a change.
● ● ●
a lot of reasons pointed
to the university of ore-
gon. Not to sound arrogant, but
I wanted to transfer to where
I’d be the No. 1 player. The head
coach, Casey Martin, had gone
through so much adversity with
his leg in his playing career, I
thought he’d be a good mentor
in resilience. Aaron Wise had
just won the NCAA individual
title as a Duck, and I didn’t re-
call him as a standout player in
high school, so it seemed there
might be some special sauce
cooking up there.Wyndham Clark
When the game is no longer a break
wyndham clark
PGA Tour Rookie
age 25
lives Las Vegasi’ve heard the story a
thousand times. How my
mom brought me to a driving
range when I was 3, and after
I finished one bucket, I wanted
another. But I don’t remember
that. My earliest vivid golf
memory is making a hole-in-
one when I was 6. Driver from
125 yards. It was on a family trip
to the mountains, so the thin air
must’ve helped. My dad and I
had a bet going that he’d buy me
a PlayStation if I made an eagle,
and he paid up.
● ● ●
i’m lucky to have athletic
genes. My dad played some
professional tennis, and my
mom could throw a perfect spi-
ral and beat us all in pingpong.
In every photograph until she’s
16, she looks like a boy. But then
she transformed into this beau-
tiful woman, and was Miss New
Mexico USA in 1981.
● ● ●
she was a national sales
director for mary kay,
and my dad was in real
estate. We joined Cherry
Hills Country Club when I was
9, and that’s when I really fell
in love with golf. I’d be there
from sunup to sundown. My
dad never talked much about
his tennis career—I know there
were injuries and disappoint-T
he summer before my sophomore year in college, my mom
was fighting breast cancer. I was a couple shots off the lead in the
Western Amateur when my aunt called. My parents weren’t go-
ing to tell me since I was playing so well, but my mom’s health had taken
a bad turn. Withdrawing to fly home to Colorado was the best decision
I ever made. She died 20 hours after I received that call. When I returned
to Oklahoma State University that fall, I continued to play solid golf,
tried to stay strong, but that spring the grief boiled over. It hit me that
I couldn’t call my mom anymore. Life off the course became hard, and
I figured, Why have an outlet that adds to my emotional frustration?
So I took a medical hardship to redshirt and stopped competing.when the gaskills invited
me to live with them,
i said no. But then it occurred
to me I’d be a fifth-year senior
who didn’t know a soul. My
mind was going to be on prepar-
ing to turn pro, not partying
and making friends. It might
get very lonely in the dorms. So
I decided to live with them, and
their young daughters became
like my little sisters. Life was
good again. So was golf.
● ● ●
picking an agent is a bit
like picking a college.
They all give the same pitch, so
you go with word of mouth from
other golfers, and your gut. The
best move is an early one. I got
an agent the January before I
graduated. There are rules, but
this allows them more time to
land you sponsor invitations
into PGA Tour fields.
● ● ●
technically, i turned pro
before i took my final
exams. It wasn’t until I arrived
at my first event, the Travelers
Championship near Hartford,
that my world changed. All my
new clothes were there in a box.
I walked out with my new bag in
front of a grandstand with thou-
sands of people. Being alone in
a courtesy car instead of a bus
with my teammates. It shocked
my system, and, of course,
I missed the cut.
● ● ●
but i’m starting to get
comfortable. I spent only
one season on the Web.com
Tour. I held my first 54-hole
PGA Tour lead at the 2019 Hon-
da Classic. I’ve already learned
so much watching how guys
score. The importance of having
a shot that will hit the fairway
even if it looks ugly. How to
grind out a cut and manage
nerves with shot selection.
● ● ●
i’ve had the support of so
many people. But none more
than my mom. She remains my
motivation for playing.
—with max adler