PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The diameter of a golf hole is 4.25 inches and the diameter of a golf ball is 1.68 inches.
On Sunday, Wyndham Clark learned that when a 1.68-inch ball goes below the equator of the 4.25-inch cup ... it can still reappear.
When Clark saw the “Titleist” go below the edge of the cup, he must have thought he just landed in a playoff with an opportunity for payback after finishing runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week.
Instead, when the ball came out of the hole like a scolded groundhog, Clark knew his hard work over four days was for naught and payback would have to be for another day as Scheffler successfully defended his title at the Players Championship.
MORE: Full results, payouts from TPC Sawgrass
“I don't know how that putt doesn't go in,” Clark said. “It was kind of right center with like a foot to go, and I knew it was going to keep breaking, but it had speed and I thought it was going to go inside left, and even when it kind of lipped, I thought it would lip in. I'm pretty gutted it didn't go in.”
One ... shot ... short ... 💔
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 17, 2024
Heartbreak for Wyndham Clark on the 72nd hole @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/6d1Qa3elOa
On the 16th tee, Clark was three shots behind Scheffler, having had a number of indifferent shots over the first 15 holes which included two bogeys. But at that moment Clark stepped on the proverbial gas, and after two solid shots was left with a 11-footer for eagle on the easiest hole of the week at TPC Sawgrass.
The putt never got to the hole and Clark was still two back after his birdie.
What Clark learned from the 16th was that he needed to get the ball to the hole. So when he was left with a 4-footer for birdie on the island-green 17th, after seeing a longer putt by playing competitor Xander Schauffele miss due to a lack of speed, Clark made sure his putt was hit hard enough to stay on line.
“I wish I would have had more speed on 16 because then we'd be in a playoff,” Clark said. “I mean, my speed, I try to keep it really constant, but sometimes it fluctuates. I do hit my short putts pretty firm. I've been known to do that. I just try to take the break out of it.”
After a solid tee shot and second at 18, Clark was left with a 17-footer, almost the same distance and line as British Open champion Brian Harman had one group earlier.
Harman missed his putt to the left, knowledge TV viewers had but Clark didn't.
After Schauffele missed his long birdie attempt, Clark was left with his attempt at Harman’s putt.
As it crept down the hill with pace, it was clear that the Harman result would not be the fate of this putt.
It looked better and better, then started to drop into the hole, the ball almost lost in the hole ... and then golf happened, with the ball popping up and curling out of the hole, stopping 10 inches away
“The one on 18, I want to try to make the putt,” Clark said after the round. “I didn't really care about the second putt. We've already had a good start to the year. I wanted to be in a playoff, so I went for it.”
