Speaker 1: I miss a green, for example, I'm already upset. When
Speaker 1: I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset.
Speaker 1: And when I find my.
Speaker 2: Ball in a brid egg Friday Egg, the dreaded Frida Egg,
Speaker 2: Friday Friday Bride Egg.
Speaker 3: Lie, I'm about ready to run off the golf course.
Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another edition of the
Speaker 2: FRIDAYGG Podcast. This afternoon, we have Wyndham Clark as our guest.
Speaker 2: Wyndham is a star player for the Oregon Ducks and
Speaker 2: the top ranked college golfer.
Speaker 1: He's a senior and is right now prepared for the.
Speaker 2: National Championships here in Chicago at Rich Harvis Farms.
Speaker 1: Wyndham, thanks for coming on.
Speaker 4: Yeah, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2: I think obviously, you know, a lot of the golf
Speaker 2: community doesn't pay that much attention to college and amateur golf.
Speaker 2: You know, why don't you start by telling everybody a
Speaker 2: little bit about yourself and who you are and how
Speaker 2: you got into golf.
Speaker 4: Yeah, okay, so I'm from Denver, Colorado. I got into
Speaker 4: golf because my mom. She took me to the course
Speaker 4: when I was three years old, and I just instantly
Speaker 4: started liking it. I hit two buckets of balls and
Speaker 4: wanted to go back the next day. So I fell
Speaker 4: in love with golf, and it was kind of something
Speaker 4: that my dad and I used to do growing up.
Speaker 4: And as I started playing more and more, I started
Speaker 4: having some success. And then that's kind of led.
Speaker 1: Me to hear, cool.
Speaker 2: Uh, do you did you play any other sports or
Speaker 2: anything growing up?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 4: I did. I played everything, you know, from hockey, the baseball, football, basketball, soccer.
Speaker 4: I played it all. I started as years going on,
Speaker 4: quitting some of the sports and just focusing on mainly
Speaker 4: just basketball and golf. And then after my freshman year
Speaker 4: of high school, I stopped playing basketball and just focused
Speaker 4: on golf.
Speaker 1: Cool. Cool, that's uh, that's cool.
Speaker 2: And then, uh, in Denver you kind of had probably
Speaker 2: a shorter season there, so it lined itself well to
Speaker 2: doing a lot of stuff outside of golf.
Speaker 4: Huh, Yeah, it was. It was great. Basketball was perfect
Speaker 4: for it, just because you know, it's during the winter
Speaker 4: time and when it was harder to play. MIGHT didn't
Speaker 4: even worry about it. I was playing basketball and enjoying that,
Speaker 4: and then as the weather got better, I was really
Speaker 4: excited to get out and play golf, and so I
Speaker 4: think that really helped me not burn out at a
Speaker 4: young age just because I you know, wasn't playing it,
Speaker 4: you know, twenty four seven, three sixty five, I was
Speaker 4: really playing at about seven months a year. So I
Speaker 4: think that helped, yeah, growth in the game.
Speaker 1: Where where'd you grow up? Playing out in Denver?
Speaker 4: I was fortunate enough to grow up playing at Cherry
Speaker 4: Hills Country Club. We joined there when I was about
Speaker 4: eleven years old and have been there ever since.
Speaker 1: Cool.
Speaker 2: That's Arnie's Arnie spot for that first US Open, right, yep?
Speaker 1: Sure, pretty cool.
Speaker 2: So so then you got into you got into college golf,
Speaker 2: and you started at Oklahoma State and you know, freshman
Speaker 2: year you were you were a Big ten Player of
Speaker 2: the Year All American. And you've played for a couple
Speaker 2: of different coaches because you know, you had Mike McGraw
Speaker 2: and then he left Oklahoma State and you had Bratton
Speaker 2: there and now you're at with Casey Martin. Kind of
Speaker 2: tell us a little bit about what you've learned, you know,
Speaker 2: having three different coaches and kind of the experience of
Speaker 2: you know, like different personalities.
Speaker 4: You know, it's funny, had you brought that up. I've
Speaker 4: never even thought about it that I had three different coaches,
Speaker 4: but yeah, it's been it's been an interesting journey out
Speaker 4: of high school. I was really interested in Kathy Martin
Speaker 4: and what he had to offer here, but I also
Speaker 4: was really intrigued by coach Mike McGraw and he was
Speaker 4: ultimately the reason why I chose Oklahoma State, and playing
Speaker 4: for him was was awesome. I mean, he's an amazing
Speaker 4: man and really was like a father figure to me,
Speaker 4: and I think it was really needed for myself with
Speaker 4: a lot of things that happened my freshman year, had
Speaker 4: a tough freshman year off the golf course, and so
Speaker 4: he really helped me with that. And then coach Alan
Speaker 4: Bratton was a different dynamic than coach McGrath. He you know,
Speaker 4: wasn't quite as intense as McGraw was and wasn't necessarily
Speaker 4: like a father figure to me, which is not a
Speaker 4: bad thing, but he he was a lot more of
Speaker 4: a players coach because he was still I mean, he's
Speaker 4: such a great player, and you know, he was a
Speaker 4: walker cupper and won an actual championship and played on tour,
Speaker 4: and so he was really good at preparing for tournaments
Speaker 4: and knowing what it takes to get on tour. And
Speaker 4: then now with Casey, Casey's also what I call the
Speaker 4: players coach, just because he he's a great player and
Speaker 4: still is a great player. And and then I you know,
Speaker 4: I've really learned a lot from all the things that
Speaker 4: he's had to deal with with his leg and his adversity,
Speaker 4: and we relate on that level a little bit. And
Speaker 4: and then you know, as far as his personality, he's
Speaker 4: he's a very intense guy and definitely demands a lot
Speaker 4: from you. But at the same time, he's real lighthearted
Speaker 4: and easy going, kind of away from the golf course.
Speaker 4: So you know, he has a good, good balance of
Speaker 4: intenseness and focusedness but also being able to have fun
Speaker 4: and enjoy things.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I imagine Casey with all of his experience.
Speaker 2: You know, obviously he had a great career, but you
Speaker 2: know cut short with with the like problems and you
Speaker 2: know kind of all you know that he's gone through
Speaker 2: is just huge for you know, you guys, and you know,
Speaker 2: helping you get through you know, tougher situations and just
Speaker 2: putting things in perspective.
Speaker 4: Man J Yeah, definitely, So you know, in terms of
Speaker 4: h I mean just.
Speaker 2: Kind of curious having played for you know, three different coaches, Like,
Speaker 2: you know, if you were going back and you know,
Speaker 2: redoing the whole college choice thing would do, how would
Speaker 2: you go about the process of picking a college differently?
Speaker 4: You know, I don't regret going to Oklahoma State or
Speaker 4: playing for three coaches. I love Oklahoma State and it's
Speaker 4: an amazing school and have played for two great coaches.
Speaker 4: But after you know, everything that I've gone through and experienced,
Speaker 4: I think if I were to do it over again,
Speaker 4: I would mainly just look at which coach makes their
Speaker 4: players better. And I would look at their track record
Speaker 4: of you know, what recruits they got coming in, you know,
Speaker 4: out of high school, and how they progressed over their career,
Speaker 4: and how many guys that they've kind of put out
Speaker 4: on were or you know, or went from kind of
Speaker 4: in a sense a nobody so then being a first
Speaker 4: team All American or or anything like that. So I
Speaker 4: would have it be one hundred percent focused on which
Speaker 4: coach is going to make me better. I was a
Speaker 4: little bit, you know, I when in high school, I
Speaker 4: really was looking at you know, facilities and what was
Speaker 4: more attractive and and all that stuff. But as i've
Speaker 4: just learned. I really you know, if you really want
Speaker 4: to play golf for your you know, as a career
Speaker 4: and played professionally, I think a coach can really really
Speaker 4: help you get that level. And that's either learning how
Speaker 4: to practice, managing your time, introducing you to right coaches,
Speaker 4: you know, swim coaches, the right people, and then also
Speaker 4: pushing you to get better. So I think that's the
Speaker 4: most important thing.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Uh, it's It's interesting.
Speaker 2: There's some some programs that you always scratch your head.
Speaker 2: It's like, how are they, you know, such a good
Speaker 2: golf school, And obviously I think you know one of
Speaker 2: them that pops up is even Oregon, you know, given
Speaker 2: its you know climate where it is and everything.
Speaker 1: But you know, caseyes turned that into a great program.
Speaker 1: Uh what what would.
Speaker 2: You say, like a day in the life for you
Speaker 2: guys is like as an Oregon golfers.
Speaker 4: Yeah. So for for me, I I typically will wake
Speaker 4: up around seven thirty eight and go to what we
Speaker 4: call the h d C and that's where we have
Speaker 4: our training table, and so I'll go there and get
Speaker 4: breakfast and then I'll head off to class and then
Speaker 4: after class I'll sometimes go get treatment on my body
Speaker 4: a little bit, you know, work on some hit mobile
Speaker 4: hit mobility and correcting some things, and then we'll go
Speaker 4: to practice. Practice usually starts around twelve thirty one, and
Speaker 4: then we'll practice till roughly four thirty five. That's every
Speaker 4: day basically, and then two three times a week we'll
Speaker 4: have workouts after practice starting at five thirty and then
Speaker 4: after that the rest is, you know, to do whatever
Speaker 4: you want. So that's kind of a typical day for us.
Speaker 4: And then we also have days where instead of practicing,
Speaker 4: we would play eighteen and compete or be qualifying or
Speaker 4: things like that.
Speaker 1: Cool.
Speaker 2: Cool, So you guys have kind of really it seems
Speaker 2: like taken off the spring and you've got a big
Speaker 2: addition with with the freshman Norman. John tell us a
Speaker 2: little bit about his game, and you know how impressive
Speaker 2: he's been as a freshman.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Norman is incredible. He's for an eighteen year old
Speaker 4: that realistically should be graduating high school right about now,
Speaker 4: he's done an amazing job for us and I really
Speaker 4: think he's going to be I think he's gonna be
Speaker 4: one of the best players next year and if not
Speaker 4: next year, the year after he he hits it really far.
Speaker 4: He hits it really straight, he can put well. I mean,
Speaker 4: he really does have it all. So he I just
Speaker 4: think some maturity, learning to manage his ball and his
Speaker 4: game a little bit better, you know, I think, is
Speaker 4: what's going to help him get to that next level.
Speaker 4: But he's Yeah, he's been an awesome addition for us,
Speaker 4: and he's a great kid. So I've really gotten to
Speaker 4: enjoy spending time with him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it seems like, you know, he just jumped up
Speaker 2: the rankings and everything. I've heard people just rave about
Speaker 2: how that is game. You know, in terms of your
Speaker 2: prep for for bigger events like the NTAs, is it
Speaker 2: do you do anything different, you know, leading into these
Speaker 2: bigger events or is it kind of the same stuff
Speaker 2: you do weekend week out?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I do the same stuff. You try to treat
Speaker 4: every tournament the same and so and especially in college golf,
Speaker 4: you're only allowed one practice round, so as far as
Speaker 4: that it keeps you know, leading up, so right before
Speaker 4: the term is the same, you know, every week. But yeah,
Speaker 4: I do the same thing beforehand. I make sure my
Speaker 4: body feels good and I'm ready and I'm mobile and
Speaker 4: things like that, and then you know, kind of starting
Speaker 4: a week prior, I make sure my swing is feeling
Speaker 4: good and my mechanics and all of that stuff is sharp,
Speaker 4: and then you know, kind of leading up to it
Speaker 4: into the practice round, I'm just focused on trying to
Speaker 4: score my golf ball and get used to the course
Speaker 4: and the conditions and and trying to find the f
Speaker 4: way I can get the ball the ball in the hole.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, having played Rich Harvis in the in
Speaker 2: the Western a couple of years back, was there anything
Speaker 2: in particular that you might you work down a little
Speaker 2: bit more just for the course setup or just kind
Speaker 2: of the same stuff. Uh?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I do definitely structure my practice and
Speaker 4: preparation for tournaments different. If I know how the course
Speaker 4: is going to be. You know, if it has really
Speaker 4: big greens, I'll work on a lot of lag putts,
Speaker 4: or if you know it's really narrow fair ways, then
Speaker 4: I'll definitely be working on. Thanks for I'm hitting my
Speaker 4: driver straight and also have a go to shot or
Speaker 4: working on, you know, a two iron stinger kind of shot.
Speaker 4: But for this week after playing it, it's it's very
Speaker 4: similar to the grasses are very similar to what I
Speaker 4: grew up on and what we play up in Oregon,
Speaker 4: so I they won't be as much adjustment for that.
Speaker 4: I do know there's some slope screens and I've definitely
Speaker 4: hit some putts that break a lot. But other than that,
Speaker 4: it's it's kind of been my normal prep for for
Speaker 4: this week, just because I knew how the court plays
Speaker 4: and and how it will play.
Speaker 1: Cool. Yeah, it's uh.
Speaker 2: I think I think it favors uh guys that hit
Speaker 2: it long, and you're one of the longer guys, so
Speaker 2: this should be good for you in terms of kind
Speaker 2: of looking past uh this week. You know, what are
Speaker 2: what are your plans post uh, post college?
Speaker 4: Yeah, so after this week, I'm I'm turning pro and
Speaker 4: I have PGA Tour Canada status and I have roughly
Speaker 4: around the first eight events, so that will be.
Speaker 2: Well.
Speaker 4: I'll spend probably the first part of my summer playing
Speaker 4: golf up there and trying to earn web dot Com
Speaker 4: card and then hopefully get some PGA Tour exemptions and
Speaker 4: take those when I get them and and see see
Speaker 4: what happens enough.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I mean it's a I think Aaron Wise
Speaker 2: had a great year last year up on a Canadian tour,
Speaker 2: and you know, it's a it's a good I think
Speaker 2: JJ Spawn's another one that that pops to the top
Speaker 2: of names in terms of people that have just come
Speaker 2: right out of that and and work their way up.
Speaker 2: You know, I imagine John Ram's instant success and you know,
Speaker 2: you're seeing these guys get out there through the sponsors
Speaker 2: exemptions has got to you know, uh, make it attractive
Speaker 2: to look at going to do those PGA tour things
Speaker 2: starts right.
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I mean, uh, it's definitely. I mean what
Speaker 4: he did is incredible and you know a handful of
Speaker 4: guys who done that. But at the same time, it
Speaker 4: is possible. And you know, if you get hot at
Speaker 4: the right time, and you know, you never know what happened.
Speaker 4: You just need to realistically, one you play one tournament
Speaker 4: really really well, you can you can earn your cards.
Speaker 4: So that's definitely, you know, it's not. Part of the
Speaker 4: reason why I would take those exemptions is it would
Speaker 4: be nice to exped active process and and earn my
Speaker 4: card very quickly. But at the same time, I know
Speaker 4: that's very hard, and you know, I really I'll use
Speaker 4: those as great learning experiences and you know, so when
Speaker 4: I am out there, I know exactly what to expect,
Speaker 4: and but also it's good. I really think I believe
Speaker 4: in myself and think I can go out there and
Speaker 4: and do really well right away. So and I'm just
Speaker 4: really looking forward to playing in my first TJA event
Speaker 4: and playing as a professionals. Then it can't be a
Speaker 4: dream come true.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, So what's like, what would you say is
Speaker 2: the thing that your aspect of pro goff you're most
Speaker 2: excited about?
Speaker 4: You know, It's funny, I think just playing in front
Speaker 4: of a lot of people. I've always enjoyed a big
Speaker 4: stage and playing in front of you know, hundreds of
Speaker 4: thousands of people. And in golf, I've only played in
Speaker 4: front of hundreds, maybe a thousand, you know, a couple
Speaker 4: of times. But in other sports that I've played, you know,
Speaker 4: I always loved when it was a pack gym and
Speaker 4: either we were home or away and and you just
Speaker 4: had that atmosphere just it really brings me, uh, you know,
Speaker 4: it just really get to my competitive juice phone. So
Speaker 4: I think that's what I'm most excited about.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's uh, it's a imagine a rush. So you know,
Speaker 2: what what aspect of your game would you say is
Speaker 2: your strongest?
Speaker 1: And then what what aspect do you think you need.
Speaker 2: To work on the most to you know, compete with
Speaker 2: the best on tour.
Speaker 4: You know, I'd say as far as my strength, I
Speaker 4: hit it very far and that that's a huge strength.
Speaker 4: And you know, as a lot of guys on tour
Speaker 4: that are winning week to week or winning majors, they
Speaker 4: hit it far, so you know, that definitely is a strength.
Speaker 4: And also I'm a very good putter, and so I'd
Speaker 4: say those kind of are my two main strengths. And
Speaker 4: then a weakness I think, you know, I think I
Speaker 4: could wedge it closer more consistently. That would really help,
Speaker 4: and then also just hit my driver straight or more consistent.
Speaker 4: You know. But I like to think I have a
Speaker 4: lot of strengths and not many weaknesses. But you know,
Speaker 4: if I were to really look at it, those two
Speaker 4: I think are things that if I were to just
Speaker 4: get a little bit better every day at those they
Speaker 4: would really help me at the next level.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I think everybody always wants to hit
Speaker 2: it a little straighter and a little closer. I think
Speaker 2: that's like the the ongoing quest of golf.
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly, So so you know, we'll get you out
Speaker 3: of here I know you're you're gonna try and get
Speaker 3: out and practice some more before this event, uh, you know.
Speaker 2: As a parting question, so if you could take one
Speaker 2: aspect of any you know, any player, tour, college college players,
Speaker 2: game or the tour player, what would it be?
Speaker 4: Mm hmm. I think I would take I think I
Speaker 4: would take the consistency in ball striking from someone like
Speaker 4: Hendrick Stenson or Dustin Johnson, because it would make golf
Speaker 4: so much easier, you know, to not have to worry
Speaker 4: about your swing and just always be in Fairwe hitting
Speaker 4: a lot of greens. I've I've never really struggled too
Speaker 4: much around the greens or on the green. I've just
Speaker 4: had some trouble in the past getting to the green.
Speaker 4: So yeah, that would be probably if I could ever
Speaker 4: take a magic pill, it would be to hit it
Speaker 4: really straight.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I mean when you when you hit
Speaker 2: it like DJ, You're like your floor is really high,
Speaker 2: you know, as far as so. But hey, Wendam, thanks
Speaker 2: for coming on and we wish you the best of
Speaker 2: luck here this week at Rich Harvest and we'll be.
Speaker 1: Rooting for you.
Speaker 4: Awesome. Yeah, thanks for having me on. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Yep. All right, thanks