Report: Wyndham Clark given ultimatum by agent and caddie

Wyndham Clark has revealed he was given an ultimatum by his agent and caddie to see a therapist as he discussed Team USA's Ryder Cup chances.

Ben Smith

20 Sep 2023

Report: Wyndham Clark given ultimatum by agent and caddie

Wyndham Clark says the best thing about Team USA's Ryder Cup side is the absence of scar tissue as he opened up on the improvement to his mental game.

Clark has given a wide-ranging interview to SI about next week's showdown at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.

The 29-year-old will make his debut in the contest having secured his spot in Zach Johnson's team largely thanks to his U.S. Open victory in June.

Clark has already seen what type of challenge the course will present having been a part of the group that went on last week's excursion to Italy.

New: Wyndham Clark calls out Rory McIlroy

The golfer said some players opened up 'more than they probably ever had to me'.

"The weekend really felt like college golf on steroids," Clark told SI.

Team USA are going into the Ryder Cup hoping to become the first side in more than three decades to be victorious on European soil.

Clark's teammate, Xander Schauffele, already inadvertently got the trash talk flowing in a recent interview.

And Clark believes one of the best things for their team is 'a little bit of ignorance'.

He explained:

"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."

Clark also told the publication that one of the key reasons he has improved his game over the last 12 months is down to a better mental approach.

He doesn't have a swing coach or putting coach because it helps him 'own his swing' and figure out what's going wrong without getting too technical.

It hasn't always been positive for Clark, who explained that before 2022 he 'self-sabotaged'.

At times he let his emotions get the better of him and would snap clubs routinely.

Two players have delivered perfect 5-0-0 records in the last two Ryder Cups
- Francesco Molinari (2018)
- Dustin Johnson (2021) #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/qOtohsjVO7
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) September 13, 2023

Clark continued:

"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."

Now he is reaping the benefits, he said.

He added: "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."

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