‘Borderline dishonest’. That was Wyndham Clark’s forecast last week. That was how he saw life on tour if Scottie Scheffler could find a way to cure his problems on the green.
The wounds were still raw from the mauling suffered by Clark and Co in Bay Hill, where the world number 1 made life difficult for his competition. It was merciless and ominous.
“I never wish harm on anyone,” Clark said. “But…” Well, ghost or no ghost, a fight arrived at Scheffler’s house on Friday.
The defending champion, who plans to become the first player ever to retain the title, spent much of his second round nursing a neck problem. He needed treatment mid-round. He tried again and again to relieve the pain by tilting and rolling his head.
“I hit a shot on my second hole today and I felt something on my neck, and then I tried to hit my tee shot on 12, and then I could barely get the club back,” he revealed afterwards. “I spent most of the day trying to get the club away from me somehow.”
Wyndham Clark took control of The Players with a second consecutive 65 at TPC Sawgrass
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler required treatment for a neck injury during Friday’s second round
There had been no warning, but fears soon arose that his title defense could end within two rounds. And yet? Scheffler still shot a par three-under 69. That left him six off the lead on a day when Clark threatened to end this competition before the weekend.
“I’ve done enough to kind of keep myself in the tournament, which is really all I could ask for,” Scheffler admitted. “I didn’t know if I would be able to continue playing… hopefully it will loosen up a bit and I can get back to somewhat normal swings tomorrow.”
It was the reigning US Open champion who stayed closest to Scheffler at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. At TPC Sawgrass it was Scheffler’s turn to hang in there.
Clark finished with a second straight 65, including a six-under par 30 on his back nine – he started on the 10th hole. That gave him a five-shot clubhouse advantage, just as Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele – his fellow night leaders – began their second round. “I got into a nice zone … and hit a great number,” he said.
Clark, the reigning US Open champion, hit seven birdies in his final 11 holes of the second round
Scheffler, who is trying to defend the Florida title, held on with a three-under-par 69
To think there was a time when this course gave him ‘fits’ and the ‘heebie-jeebies’. He has been disqualified (for signing an incorrect scorecard) and has had to endure repeated missed cuts. The low point in his putting? Here, last year.
This week, meanwhile, Clark’s preparation was hampered by pain and a few changes in his hotel room. Not that that has proven to be the case.
On Friday, Clark exploded after going level through the first seven holes. Six birdies came in the next eight holes as he pulled away from the pack. Another came on the last hole. Cross-border unfair? Even a full-shooting Scheffler would have struggled to keep pace.
Clark claimed afterwards that he was unaware of the struggle of the world number 1 in the group ahead. “I’m really focused on what I’m trying to do,” he said. “I didn’t see any of the other noise.”
However, that doesn’t mean Clark is blind to what’s going on around him. He may have cursed Scheffler last week, but he also has reason to thank him.
“I really owe him a lot of my good golf lately,” Clark said of the world No. 1
“I really owe him a lot, thanks to my good golf lately,” he said. “I’ve really looked at how Scottie has played this year and last year and I’m using him as someone to keep track of.”
Clark added, “His play and consistency and he’s really kind of a benchmark right now for where you want to try to be…Scottie is always in contention. He pushed me to be better.”
Like Scheffler, Clark has benefited from a new club and newfound control in his top two inches.
“When I switched to the putter I was using, that Jailbird, I really started seeing a lot of putts go, and all the work I was doing off the course in my mental game, I started seeing it on the course,” he said.
Heading into this weekend, Clark has made 16 birdies. He has made more than seven and a half shots on the greens and more than thirteen shots in total. At the time of writing, no one could match these figures. After two rounds, he was among the best in the field in terms of length off the tee (11th), regulation greens (1st) and putting (3rd). That helps.
Clark had his luck at times, most obviously on the fourth when his approach struck Brian Harman’s ball. That gave him a much easier birdie putt. Perhaps the most pivotal moment of the round, however, came on the next hole, when he saved par from 22ft.
“I didn’t know if I could keep playing,” Scheffler admitted after round two
“Probably the biggest putt of the day in terms of momentum,” he said. “Then I birdied two of the last four, which was huge.” Especially while other challengers, like Matt Fitzpatrick, have wobbled.
Remarkably, the world number 5 was +5000 to win here earlier this week. The win would put him among the favorites for next month’s Masters. Clark, along with his father and brother, recently played Augusta for the first time.
“I had two chances to do that and I made a little pact with myself that I wouldn’t go until I was eligible to play in the tournament,” he said. “It’s something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”
This can also be an unforgettable week.