Wyndham Clark Talks Ryder Cup Scouting Trip and How He Stopped ‘Self-Sabotaging’ on the Course

One year ago, Wyndham Clark could be classified as a solid PGA Tour player who kept his card for five consecutive seasons, posted the occasional top-10 finish and made a solid living as a professional golfer. Now Clark is a major champion, the No. 10 player in the world, and a member of the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

So how’d he do it?

Sports Illustrated sat down with the 29-year-old from Denver to find out, and Clark went deep on the three big changes he made in order to become a consistent force on the PGA Tour. The effort included a complete overhaul of his mental game with the help of sports psychologist Julie Elion.

Clark also dishes on the recent Ryder Cup scouting trip, an intervention moment with his caddie and agent, and life as the reigning U.S. Open champion. 

The major champion leveled up his game in 2023 and qualified for his first Ryder Cup. 

IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Sports Illustrated: How did the U.S. team’s scouting trip to Marco Simone go?

Wyndham Clark: It was a really fun weekend. Everyone's playing cards, laughing and telling stories on the plane. As far as golf goes, I don't think any of us were the sharpest we would have liked to be. We flew all night, we landed, and then went straight to the golf course, and we just started playing money games. We all play against each other all the time [on the PGA Tour], but we have our guard up. We're there for ourselves. But now we're in a team setting. Guys opened up more than they probably ever had to me and to other other players. Our camaraderie went up significantly. Now we have a fun group text. Everyone knows how fun group chats can be.

SI: Does the group chat have a fun name?

WC: It's literally just “2023 Ryder Cup team,” or something. Some things I can't say, but it’s funny because there's a bunch of great players on this group chat. Someone starts popping off, and then another guy will pop off back. I hope it keeps going on afterwards.

SI: We got a sneak peek of some team dynamics when Justin Thomas was playfully ridiculed by the team for Alabama’s loss to Texas. What was that night like?

WC: That game was on at 12:30 or 1 a.m. So for us to see the whole game—which most of us did—it was three or 4 a.m. You can only imagine how we got to 4 a.m. We were not in our best frame of mind at that point. We were all a little delirious, and we were definitely enjoying ourselves. There was a lot of trash talking. I think everyone was pulling against Alabama, simply just because I think we're all sick of the SEC. We pretty much all pulled an all-nighter. You would think after college you stop pulling all-nighters. But they still happen. 

SI: Was the trip kind of like a flashback to college golf?

WC: The weekend really felt like college golf on steroids. It was way more glamorous than college golf. Normally we're at a Holiday Inn, getting picked up by a minivan, flying in seat 32B. For the Ryder Cup we’re flying on a nice chartered plane, we have police escorts, we're staying in a really nice hotel, the food is great. Everything was first class. But it's the first team atmosphere I've had since I've been a professional.

SI: As you know, the U.S. hasn’t won a Ryder Cup on European soil in 30 years. What do you think the team needs to do to break the streak?

WC: I think one of the best things for our team is a little bit of ignorance. There are a lot of first-timers on the team that haven’t played overseas Ryder Cups. Scottie, Patrick, Xander and Collin have played Ryder Cups, but they've never played overseas. Then you bring in guys like Max, myself, Sam and Brian. That’s eight guys who have never played on European soil. We watched the team lose, but we don’t know how to lose. A lot of us are winners. We’ve won at every level. A lot of guys have won a national championship for their college team. They've played on winning Walker Cup teams. The guys who were at Whistling Straits won. So we’re treating it like “we don't know what we don't know.” We don't have that scar tissue that some of the older Ryder Cup teams had. Anything that happened in the past doesn’t matter.

SI: Your place on this U.S. team is a product of the growth in your own game over the past year. How did you take things to the next level?

WC: It really came down to three things. First, I put an emphasis on my mental game. You can’t just read a book or take a couple of tips and decide you’re going to be mentally tough. It's a daily, weekly effort.

Secondly, I went on my own with my swing. I don't have any swing coaches. I don't have any putting coaches or short game coaches. I decided that I'm gonna do it all on my own. I've seen a lot of great coaches, and they all are fantastic at what they do. But I got too much into “golf swing” and the technical side of golf. It took away from the athletic, god-given ability I have. Now I own my swing and I know what's going on. I know why I hit it good, I know why I hit it bad, and then I know how to fix it.

Thirdly, I switched equipment about a year and a half ago. My ball striking improved so much. I have so much more consistency off the tee and with my iron game.

SI: Can you pinpoint the moment where you knew you needed to make a change in your mental game?

WC: In 2022, I actually played really good golf. But I self-sabotaged. I would be having a good week and I’d let my emotions get to me. I’d compound errors. In the fall season, I had the chance to win a couple of tournaments if my mental game was better. I was so frustrated. I was breaking clubs. I was like, ‘Why can't I break through?’ My game was there, I was hitting it better, I was in contention. But I’d end up finishing in 20th. I was so mad that I wasn’t playing to my ability.

My caddie and my agent basically came to me and said, “Hey, if you want us to keep working with you and be part of your team, we want you to see this lady [mental coach Julie Elion].” I'm not gonna mention the player—for his privacy—another PGA Tour player said, “I really think Wyndham should see Julie. I think she will really help him. She’s helped me for the last 10 years.” I honestly was very skeptical. The previous mental coaches I've worked with were good, but it never seemed to stick. I never felt like I truly grew in that area.

But with Julie, we're constantly talking. It’s like when you go work out on your own, without a trainer, you don't work out as hard. But when you have that trainer, you work out tough. That's kind of what she does. She's always there with me, constantly pushing me. Sure enough, after putting tons of hours into it, I started reaping the benefits. I started last fall, and through months of working together, we finally started seeing serious benefits and success. I’ve had more success than I thought I would this quickly.

SI: Anything specific you can share about the work you’ve been doing with your mental coach?

WC: There isn’t a trick to it. I wish there was some magic pill you could take and you'd be mentally strong. It really requires a lot of work. I'm constantly reading. I'm meditating before every round and most days. I constantly try to monitor my thoughts. When you do have negative thoughts, you have to replace those with positive ones. I talk to her about stuff that's happening in my social life, my personal life, my family life. It just takes a lot of work.

SI: Can you prepare your mental game for the Ryder Cup?

WC: We've practiced teeing the ball up. No, I'm just kidding. But something there's been multiple stories where guys couldn't see tee the ball up because they were so nervous.

Every night she wants me to go home and visualize me making putts that matter, hitting shots under pressure. I imagine myself walking onto that first tee and piping it down the fairway. I’m mainly focused on visual stuff right now. Going into the week of the Ryder Cup, we'll be working on specific things for that golf course and how I'm feeling at that moment.

SI: How much has your life changed since becoming a major champion?

WC: I didn't think it would change as much as it has. It seems like my phone is always ringing. I'm asked to go to a bunch of different speaking engagements. Everyone wants to play golf with me now. I have more sponsors. Obviously all good things and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

SI: Speaking of your sponsors, Municipal got a lot of press after the U.S. Open for taking a chance on you and your career. How has that relationship been for you?

WC: When I signed with Municipal, I was a guy that kept his card for five years and had some success. I wasn’t a major winner at the time. But it’s a startup company. They couldn’t go get a Jordan Spieth. They go to a guy that they can give some equity in the company and hope it works out. Fortunately, I really believed in what that brand was doing—and what they’re continuing to do—and obviously having Mark Wahlberg behind it is great. It's been a really fun journey, seeing where it's gone outside of golf. We're looking forward to this year really launching some great new golf stuff.

SI: What else are you looking forward to?

WC: I’m excited to continue growing my relationship with Municipal. We’re also in the process of starting a foundation. I’m really looking forward to giving back and helping people. Those things can't just always start overnight.