Wyndham Clark has suggested that he was shocked once he saw the length of the rough ahead of this week’s US Open, having played Shinnecock Hills in much more generous conditions several weeks ago.
Clark is one of the players in the field this week with experience of winning the US Open.
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He also has a claim to be considered the PGA Tour player in the best form right now. The 32-year-old has turned his fortunes around completely in recent months.
Wyndham Clark left surprised by the Shinnecock Hills setup
Clark won The CJ CUP Byron Nelson, while he has failed to finish inside the top 20 on just one occasion across his last six starts.
It was ahead of his victory at TPC Craig Ranch that Clark took a visit to Shinnecock Hills. It seems that practice round did not prepare him for the course he found when he returned this week.
Speaking on The Smylie Show, Clark was asked about how different the course is just days before the third major of the year to when he played it a few weeks ago.
“It actually is shocking to see. So the fescue wasn’t up. It was green and it was only four or five inches. The rough wasn’t quite there, so it was a little benign, and now getting here, you’re like, ‘oh c—-‘, this is a proper US Open,” he said.
“But the challenge of this golf course, the fairways are pretty wide, but if you miss a fairway, you’re screwed. It’s the greens, it’s very slopey, undulating greens with poa annua so it’s like a double whammy. If it was bent, it would be a lot easier, but the poa annua adds another element that makes Shinnecock so tough.”
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The key for Clark’s hopes of winning a second major championship is surely his driving.
He is 94th currently for strokes gained off the tee on the PGA Tour. Meanwhile, he is 150th for distance from the edge of the fairway.
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The fairways at Shinnecock appear to be generous. However, there looks set to be a harsh penalty for those who are wayward off the tee.
He is inside the top 20 for approach play and around the green. And he is likely to need all of those skills in Southampton, with the green complexes presenting plenty of challenges.
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