Clark’s PGA Tour career was forever enriched by his four-stroke victory and $3.6 million earnings from the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, surpassing Xander Schauffele, who was ranked No. 5. This remarkable achievement marked Clark as the newest first-time winner on the Tour, and he will always hold the memory of this cherished day.
Securing the significant achievement in his professional journey, Clark followed up an impressive 8-under 63 in Saturday’s third round with a 3-under 68 on Sunday. He now becomes part of the group of first-time Tour champions at Quail Hollow, where the Wells Fargo Championship has served as a springboard for some of the sport’s most prominent figures in previous years. Quail Hollow served as the venue for the Presidents Cup last year and is now going back to its customary location in Charlotte after a one-year move in 2022.
Clark informed CBS, “Obtaining [a victory] on Tour has been a lengthy journey. However, it was definitely worth the patience. I feel incredibly thankful. I had assumed I would achieve one occasionally [by now].”
Clark says it’s a testament to his increased mental toughness when Rory McIlroy set a record at the Fargo Wells Championship in 2015, scoring the lowest marks for the event. He finished nine back under 19, including a 3-under round of 33 which included key birdies at crucial moments. Clark remained steady throughout the round, with his only bogey coming on the first hole. Although he faced a bit of a bumpy start with a bogey on the first par-5, he remained unfazed for the rest of the way.
“Clark stated, ‘Certainly, the psychological aspect is crucial.’ ‘Yesterday, I didn’t hit it well either,’ he remarked. ‘Maybe on previous occasions, I didn’t make as many putts. I was mentally very strong. I didn’t have a great start. I was extremely shaky. In the past years, I might have folded under pressure. But this time, I stayed patient. Then, I caught fire on the back nine.'”
Clark arrived at Quail Hollow in 2017, with only four top finishes since turning professional. There have been plenty of breakthroughs for Max Homa and Rickie Fowler, who are now joining the well-respected company of Wells Fargo Championship winners such as Rory McIlroy. However, their first tour win came at the Bermuda Championship in 2020, which also included a playoff loss.
Xander Schauffele’s loss of that advantage ultimately resulted in a loss of that advantage, however, his impressive 5-under 66 in the afternoon included two bogeys in the last three holes. Schauffele maintained a two-stroke lead for a significant portion of the back nine during his first round on Thursday, and this applies to multiple rounds. Reflecting on what could have been this week at Quail Hollow will be tempting, but he is content with securing a second-place finish as he enters the PGA Championship.
Schauffele did not let the final bumpy few holes on Thursday faze him, as he carded a 69-under 2 on Friday before firing an impressive 64-under 7 on Saturday, playing a combined 16-14 under par to secure his spot in the final Sunday pairing. However, he missed the opportunity to get back on track on the 10th par-5 hole, with par, and quickly negated the bogeys on the 11th par-4 hole, starting under 2 on holes eight through Sunday. Clark also did well, giving enough insurance and leading the way to those two holes on the 15th and 14th par-5, with back-to-back birdies.
Xander Schauffele, who achieved an impressive runner-up finish at The Players Championship, is now aiming to secure his first major title. After his victory at the Scottish Open and a strong performance at the Genesis Open in July, Schauffele is now shifting his focus to the upcoming Byron Nelson AT&T at Oak Hill Country Club.
Despite finishing in the top-10 for the fourth time this season, it might sting a bit for 31-year-old Hatton that his second victory on the PGA Tour came two months after his career-best win. Nonetheless, Hatton had a strong overall week at Hollow Quail, finishing T3 with a 1-under 70 in the final round, starting from a good position.
Max Homa finished T8, giving him his fifth top-10 finish of the season. After missing cuts in his previous two starts, he rebounded nicely for a 3-under 68 in the third round and a 4-under 67 in the second round at Quail Hollow. His stay at Hollow Quail was bookended by a nice rebound. In the final round, he salvaged a 1-under 70 to finish the weekend with a combined score of 2-under. The No. 7 ranked golfer in the world, Homa didn’t repeat his performance from previous cards, but he did put together a nice closing touch.
Justin Thomas, who has not won a championship in over a year, is putting his title at risk in the PGA 2022 Championship at Southern Hills. Despite posting a score of 71 under par on Sunday, Thomas is still nine shots behind the leader, with a combined score of 4 under par for the past two rounds. However, Thomas made significant progress in his Sunday round, reaching 12 under par and making serious noise on the leaderboard.
This is a missed opportunity for Rory McIlroy to get his mojo back before the Oak Hill rolls around. He went 3 over on the first three holes, but the rest of the way he managed to go 2 under for the day after an eagle on the 10th, a par-5. His final round saw him finish the tournament at even-par, with a 72 on Sunday and a 71 on Saturday. Unfortunately, he was unable to conjure up any magic to make something happen in the final two rounds of the Wells Fargo Championship, where he had previously been a three-time winner. Since his first start at the Masters in April, McIlroy, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, has only positive thoughts about the fact that he barely made it to the weekend.
Jordan Spieth missed the cut at the AT&T Byron Nelson in his hometown of Dallas, where he was the last runner-up. Before his early exit in Charlotte, Spieth had posted top-five finishes in each of his three stroke-play events. Although he fell apart with a triple-bogey on the par-4 18th hole, Spieth carded three consecutive birdies to reach 2 under before the next day, when he sent a 77, 6-over. It appeared that he had something going during the back nine of the opening round, but his performance at Quail Hollow fell short of his hopes, entering the tournament as the fifth-best odds to win.