“People didn’t know who I was” - Wyndham Clark says he deserves a place among the top names after winning the US Open 2023
Wyndham Clark, the newly crowned champion of the 2023 US Open, firmly believes he deserves recognition as one of the world's best golfers. His victory earned him $3.15 million in prize money and boosted his confidence.
In an interview after the major, Clark said:
“I feel like I belong on this stage and even two, three years ago when people didn’t know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world. I feel like I’ve shown that this year. I’ve come up close (to winning) and obviously everyone sees the person that hoists the trophy, but I’ve been trending in the right direction for a long time now."
Wyndham Clark won the first event of his career at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship in May and within a few weeks, he won the first major of his career. He went on to add:
“I’ve made a lot of cuts. I’ve had a handful of top 10s and top 20s and I feel like I’ve been on a great trajectory to get to this place. Obviously it’s gone faster than I thought as far as just starting to do some stuff mentally that I’ve never done before, but I feel like I’m one of the best players in the world."
Wyndham Clark started the final round of the 2023 US Open with a birdie on the first hole. He carded four birdies and four bogeys to register a one-stroke win over Rory McIlroy.
“I didn’t show any emotion off the course"- Wyndham Clark recalled his experience at the 2023 US Open
Wyndham Clark made a great start to the 2023 US Open, making an eagle on the first hole before bogeying the second. On Thursday, June 15, he made seven birdies and three bogeys. He shot a second round of 67 and a third round of 69.
Clark won the trophy with a final score of 70. Clark recalled his time at the Los Angeles Country Club, saying:
“I didn’t show any emotion off the course, but when I was on the golf course, I couldn’t have been angrier. I was breaking clubs when I didn’t even hit that bad of a shot. I was walking off golf courses. When I transferred from Oklahoma State to Oregon was another low point and I think that was a lot of carryover from my mom passing."
He continued saying:
“So when I went to Oregon and Casey Martin then took over as my head coach, he instilled that I was one of the best players in the world and he goes, ‘you’re good enough to play on this stage but also in college and win’. Then I had my best year ever. I got out here (on Tour) pretty quick, but even those first few years, I felt like I under-performed."
Wyndham Clark reached number 13 in Official World Golf Rankings after winning the 2023 US Open.