Golf is really hard and that was well proven on day 1 of the 2024 Masters Tournament. Wyndham Clark, who did not have a good start at Augusta National, took a sly dig at LIV Golf and the 18-hole leader Bryson DeChambeau. The 2022 US Open champion felt that the conditions were tough and it would test their skills as the tournament progressed.
While speaking to the media after the end of the first round, Clark stated that the 54-hole game was still left to play and he knew his chances. He added that “someone” (DeChambeau) did shoot 7 under par, and he could do that on the coming day. As quoted by Golf.com, he said,
“Yeah, we’ve got 54 holes. In LIV Golf they only play 54, so I like my chances. We’ve got a lot of golf left. As you can see, someone shot 7-under. I could do that tomorrow…”
The reigning US Open champion commented on the tough windy and gusty conditions on Thursday which made it hard to make the putts. Wyndham Clark continued with a comment on the conditions,
“It’s really hard to make putts when it’s blowing 20 and gusting. You’re trying to time the putt with the gusts and then you have all this break and then you’re playing wind – it’s hard to make putts. I know some guys probably did, but it’s tough out there right now.”
Jack Nicklaus Dismisses Wyndham Clark’s Approach For The Masters
Before the 88th edition of the Masters, the reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark stated that they should approach the Augusta National event as any other golf tournament. However, this did not sit well with the legendary 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus.
While speaking to Live from the Masters on Golf Channel, the six-time green jacket winner stated that if a player treats the Masters tournament as any other tournament, he would never win the tournament. He added that all four major tournaments were “special events” and should be treated accordingly. As quoted by sbnation.com, he said,
“If you treat The Masters like another event, then I don’t think you are going to want to win The Masters. The U.S. Open, the Open Championship, the PGA, you treat those tournaments like special events and prepare like they are special events.”
The 18-time major champion also gave his valuable advice to Wyndham Clark emphasizing that if someone wanted to win the Masters title, he should prepare numerous times a year with concentration and will to win the tournament.
“You can only prepare so many times per year and have that kind of concentration. I think when you get to The Masters, it’s a special event, prepare for it like you really want to win it.”
Well, what Jack Nicklaus said was truly precise because Wyndham Clark eventually ended up missing the cut at the 2024 Masters. The golfer shot 1 over 73 in his opening round and followed it with a poor 6 over 78 on Friday to miss the cut by one stroke.
Clark will also be playing in the other three majors this year. He would surely take the advice with heed going foward. It remains to be seen how he performs in those upcoming special events.
