PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — This was supposed to be a special week for PGA Tour rookie Wyndham Clark, who was making his first start in the Players Championship. Unfortunately, his week ended in both ugly and premature fashion on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass.
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Clark, 25, began his round on the back nine, carding an three-over 39 that included a pair of birdies (one at the 17th), three bogeys and one double bogey at the par-5 16th, where he three putted from four feet. Things didn’t go much better on the front side, as Clark bogeyed the par-5 second and made four more bogeys on the day to shoot a first-round 80
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Clark was disqualified afterwards for signing an incorrect scorecard. The former Oregon standout wrote down that he made a 4 at the par-4 fourth, but Clark had actually made a bogey. Here’s what it looked like on PGATour.com, which suggests he hit his drive just 105 yards and still was able to make a five:
Just two weeks ago, Clark held the solo 54-hole lead at the Honda Classic, where he opened with rounds of 69, 67 and 67 before shooting a Sunday 72 to fall into a tie for seventh. It was his second straight top 10, and his third finish inside the top 20. He’s putting together a solid rookie campaign, but this week is one he’d like to forget.