Last week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson felt rather jarring in the aftermath of the gruelling PGA Championship.
Aaron Rai’s 9-under-par winning score at Aronimink would have been good for a T59 finish at TPC Craig Ranch (which had undergone extensive renovations to make it more of a test). It almost felt like the PGA of America was throwing the entire field a bone after they couldn’t attack the pins at Aronimink. The ever-controversial Wyndham Clark came from nowhere to blitz the field with a remarkable 30-under-par winning score, leaving Si Woo Kim and World No.1 Scottie Scheffler grasping shadows. Let’s look at some of the major talking points to emerge from the Dallas birdie-fest.
The new bad boy of men’s golf
Golf isn’t exactly a sport famed for renegades (John Daly is one true outlier in a sea of conformity). But there certainly have been a fair share of players who weren’t beloved. Sergio’s little tantrums and thinly veiled racist remarks towards Tiger never endeared him to many. Patrick Reed’s Ryder Cup boorishness- mixed with accusations of cheating- have made him persona non grata in some circles. Byron Nelson winner Wyndham Clark is quickly earning himself a reputation as the tour’s resident bad-boy. The 2023 US Open champion was the subject of scorn last season, flinging his driver into a T-Mobile sign at the PGA Championship at Quali Hollow. He doubled down on that outlandish behaviour at the US Open, reportedly damaging locker room property after missing the cut at Oakmont. This is how legends are born.
Clark’s brilliance marred by petulance
Clark came in for renewed criticism following the 2nd round at Aronimink, where he almost decapitated a spectator after an aggressive, frustrated swing from a side slope. The firebrand was generally well-behaved during his title-winning run in Dallas, perhaps discombobulated by the fact that he was playing so well after not registering a top ten finish since last year’s Open Championship. Clark roared from nowhere to storm past Scheffler and Kim, holing an eye-boggling 158 feet of putts during his final round (a stark contrast from Aronimink, where every 6-footer was thwart with danger). He shot a 28 on that back-nine turkey-shoot, more than earning his 4th career PGA Tour title. But his behaviour on the 9th hole gave me Patrick Cantlay tingles (and that’s not a good thing).
A muddy tantrum
The 32-year-old found the fairway with his tee-shot on the 9th, but the ball had gathered some mud. He asked the official for a free drop due to casual water but there was no causal water in the vicinity. Clark asked for a 2nd opinion, turning it into a saga that lasted over ten minutes and left Scheffler and Kim marooned on the 9th tee-box. It was the type of entitled, selfish behaviour that Clark is becoming famous for. It was even more churlish when you consider how receptive the course was. Getting mud on the ball is part of the game. In any event, I’m a firm believer that the tour needs antagonists to make it more compelling.
Near-misses mount for Scheffler
If there’s any player that you would want to play for your life: it’s Scottie Scheffler. The tee-to-green dynamo looked immense for large portions at TPC Craig Ranch, not making a 5 or worse for the first two rounds of play! But he once again pulled up just a little bit short in contention, picking up his 6th top five finish without a win since he claimed the American Express title. You can tell that it’s getting to him, as the usually unflappable World No.1 slammed his driver into the tee-box after an errant drive on the 13th. It was the type of behaviour that lands the likes of Garcia or Clark in hot water. For Scheffler, it’s shrugged off as a small sign of his human fallibility (that’s the leeway that being World No.1 will get you).
TPC Craig Ranch as gettable as ever
What is it they say about best laid plans? The $25 million renovation of TPC Craig Ranch did little to stem the scoring, with 16 players finishing at 18-under or better. It certainly added cosmetic value, with the general infrastructure and member experience greatly improved. But it ultimately failed to bring back some respectability to those scorecards. To be fair, the lack of wind certainly didn’t do the organizers any favours. But as Michael Kim pointed out, sowing the greens with Bentgrass basically mitigated any of the slope changes, etc. In the summer, the Bentgrass becomes soft and receptive, essentially turning the event into a glorified game of darts. These open, relatively basic layouts need trees, simple as that. My advice to Lanny Watkins and co: put some faith in Mother Nature and hopefully the course can bare some teeth in 3-5 years.
