Wyndham Clark catches fire Sunday, captures THE CJ CUP with closing 60

MCKINNEY, Texas — On a Sunday of superlatives at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, Wyndham Clark made the boldest statement of them all.

Clark delivered a masterful and mesmerizing round of 11-under 60 when it mattered most. He finished the third round two shots behind 54-hole leader Si Woo Kim and suggested on Saturday that he knew it would take that kind of performance to catch him. What happened next looked as easy as an iron swing from Byron Nelson himself.

On another warm and nearly wind-free afternoon north of Dallas, Clark made nine birdies and an eagle for his fourth victory on the PGA TOUR. His back-nine 28 put Clark at 30 under for his first win since the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He never shot a round higher than 66.

Kim (64-60-68-65) finished at 27 under for solo second, followed by Scottie Scheffler (66-63-65-65) at 25 under to finish third.

“It was pretty amazing,” Clark said. “I just knew I had to keep birdieing. I made more than I thought I was going to make, that’s for sure.”

Clark dominated much of the statistical spectrum. He was sixth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. He was 11th in SG: Approach to Green, first in SG: Putting and tied for seventh in greens in regulation. He made 28 birdies, the second-most for the week at TPC Craig Ranch. No course on the TOUR has yielded more birdies this year – a startling 1,975 – and no player managed to make enough of those Sunday with the fewest errors.

“Everything’s been kind of coming together,” Clark said.

Before Sunday, his best finish of the year was a T13 at The American Express. He played well at the Masters and the RBC Heritage, with finishes at both inside the top 25. Poor driving cost him a missed cut at the PGA Championship, but a spacious TPC Craig Ranch can accommodate a pull or a push here and there.

“I felt confident,” Clark said. “Then after the first round, I felt really good on the greens, and I said, okay, this could be a really fun, special week."

The aura of his round resembled the third round of the 2024 tournament at Pebble Beach. There, too, Clark shot a 60.

It turned out to be the winning score there as well. The final round was cancelled due to inclement weather. That makes Clark a very specific unicorn – a player who has won twice with closing rounds of 60.

“It was a calm zone,” Clark said. "I've been in the zone before. Like at Pebble, that was a crazy zone, just simply because that golf course and the putts I was making was almost like out of this world just because those greens are so difficult.”

On Saturday, when many caddies wore messages on the backs of their bibs about family time or sleep, Clark’s wore the word “Unlok.” That refers to an app Clark is helping to create for better mental health and fitness. Clark said the bib message reminded him to relax and focus.

“Here it just almost felt like I was playing at home, and every hole was a new hole,” Clark said. “I didn't worry that I just made six birdies or that I needed to make more. I just was like, all right, I have this 20-footer. I see it left edge, and I'd hit it, and it would go in. It was a different zone than I've been in before, that's for sure.”

Clark stayed there, from his first birdie on the par-4 second through the birdie-birdie finish on the final two holes. It was clear Clark could not be caught.

“Sometimes you've just got to tip your cap and say, ‘Good playing,’ and 60 was going to be pretty tough to beat today,” Scheffler said.

Clark, who began the tournament 82nd on the FedExCup Points List, earned 500 points toward the season-long race.

He also proved to himself that, at the age of 32, he has a lot of winning left to accomplish.

“Needless to say, it feels amazing to be back in the winner’s circle,” he said. “I feel like my game's trending in a great direction to continue to have success through the rest of the year.”