Who is Julie Elion? All you need to know about US Open 2023 winner Wyndham Clark’s mental coach
Wyndham Clark inspired a generation of athletes after his incredible win in the US Open 2023. However, what impressed the most was his mental toughness at the Los Angeles Country Club.
When the entire crowd was chanting Rickie Fowler's name, Clark held his nerves and followed his mental coach Julie Elion's advice to stay focused. He was of the belief the crowd would surely chant his name following his win.
In the press conference following his win, Clark revealed his mental coach Julie Elion had already prepared him for 'Rickie' chants in the crowd. He said:
"My mental coach, Julie, told me, she goes, 'Every time you hear someone chant 'Rickie,' think of your goals and get cocky and go show them who you are. I did that. It was like 100-plus times today I reminded myself of the goals."
Wyndham Clark's mental coach, Julie Elion, told him to stay cocky on Sunday, and every time he heard fans chant "Rickie!" to show them who he really is. Clark said he did that about 100 times.
"Now," Clark says, "maybe they'll be chanting my name in the future."
Julie Elion is not a new name in the golf fraternity. She, earlier, worked with top golfers like Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker, and Greg Norman to work on their mental fitness.
Clark, 29, started to work with Elion earlier in 2023 to overcome his mental barriers and train his mental toughness on the golf course. The collaboration did work as he secured his first victory on the PGA Tour after winning the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship and later he won his first major i.e. the US Open 2023.
Who is US Open 2023 winner Wyndham Clark's mental coach Julie Elion?
Sports psychologist, Julie Elion is the founder of the Center for Athletic Performance Enhancement, which she founded in 1998. She has helped half of the top 10 earners in the field of golf enhance their mental strength and practice premier sports psychology techniques.
She has been involved with over 150 PGA Tour events winners and 25 Major Championship winners in her career of 25 years. She is also involved in premier sports circuits such as NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA, and LPGA.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Julie Elion completed her BA (Clinical Psychology) from Amherst College in 1986. She also holds a MA (Applied Psychology) degree, which she completed in 1991 from the University of Santa Monica.
Elion lives in Bethesda, Maryland. She is married to Rick and has two children, named Noah and Hana. She also pets two dogs named Charlie and Daisy.
How was Wyndham Clark's performance at the US Open 2023?
If a word could describe Wyndham Clark's performance at the recently concluded US Open 2023, that would be 'dominating'. He started his campaign in the Los Angeles Country Club with an opening round of 64(-6) that helped him stay in the T3 position.
On the second day, he once sat atop the table but later slipped a spot below after carding 68 (−2). He bettered his game on Saturday's play when Clark carded One-Under 69 to tie with Rickie Fowler on the top of the leaderboard.
Finally, in the fourth round, Wyndham Clark ended his US Open campaign with an Even-Par 70 score on Sunday that took his aggregate to 270(-10). He defeated second-ranked Rory McIlroy by a margin of a mere one stroke to take home his first major trophy and a paycheck of $3.6 million.