Masters 2026: Wyndham Clark plays his way back into contention after a rough year

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s been a rough run of late for Wyndham Clark. But a strong round at Augusta National heading into the weekend has a way of healing what ails you.

Clark, the 2023 U.S. Open champion, took the clubhouse lead at the turn on Friday in Augusta with a 4-under round to stand at -4 for the tournament. He started with three straight birdies from holes 2 to 4, and added two more at 15 and 16 to offset one mid-round bogey.

Since he teed it up in Augusta last year, it’s been a tough year. Clark has recorded only two top-10 finishes with zero wins. His Official World Golf Ranking has plummeted from No. 10 at this time last year to No. 78 today. And that’s the good news.

Clark torpedoed his image with an explosion in the Oakmont clubhouse after a missed cut at the U.S. Open last year. He later apologized, but the damage, literal and figurative, was already done. Then just a few days ago, he noted that the tot-laden Par 3 Contest was “great birth control” — a joke which, honestly, both parents of older children and the childless found hilarious and on point.

But that same par-3 contest might just have provided a turning point for Clark, who carded an ace even without children around to celebrate it:

And he hard-launched his relationship with influencer Emily Tanner on Instagram:

So things are taking a turn for the better for Wyndham, and on Friday, the golf followed suit.

“Obviously last year has kind of been tough golf for me, but I think it's really helped me mentally to be patient and understand that golf, there’s so many ebbs and flows,” he said Friday after his round. “Everything off the course is good. Everything relationship-wise is good. Then I get on the course, there’s nothing to worry about other than hitting golf balls.”

His round left him one stroke off the overnight lead of Sam Burns and Rory McIlroy, and he credited his mental game with setting the pace for his physical one.

“One of the things here is you look up and see where you are at, one of the most beautiful places in the country,” he said. “Then also maybe sometimes looking ahead on some of the holes coming up and say, Hey, I still got birdie looks, even if I just made a bogey. If I just stay patient and keep hitting fairways, you're going to have a chance to come back.”

With dry weather forecast for the rest of Friday afternoon, it’s likely Clark will be in one of the final pairings on Saturday. And then it’s up to him to make the next move back to winning majors.

“Sometimes I haven't stayed patient,” he said. “But the good thing is having a lot of results that you don't like, you learn to get more patient and know that around the corner good golf will come. I'm hoping this is the start of a great run of Wyndham Clark golf I know I can play.”

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