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As darkness fell on Sunday, June 18, 2023, I was still a very long way from resting my head on a pillow. The same was true for my boss, his close friends and family, and my mom and wife, thanks to a shiny piece ofhardware that none of us wanted to stop looking at or holding.
Team Wyndham Clark wasn’t even close to being done celebrating a U.S. Open victory that is – so far – the defining moment of his career. There were times that evening when my mind wandered back to the first time I met Wyndham, in 2016. It wasmy first year as an assistant golf coach to Casey Martin at the University of Oregon, and the buzz was about this hotshot transfer from Oklahoma State named Clark.
Never heard of him. It took very little time for me to learn exactly who he was and to have an inkling of what he might become. Wyndham was obviously an incredible talent – you don’t reach the highest level of collegiate golf without game. But his dedication was exceptional. He wanted to learn, wanted to get better, and worked harder at it than anyone I had seen. Our relationship blossomed from there.
After Wyndham graduated and turned pro, my wife and I moved to Minnesota for a new opportunity. Wyndham and I stayed in touch, and I caddied for him a few times on the Korn Ferry Tour. When he earned his PGA Tour card in 2018, he asked me to come along for the ride. I wasn’t necessarily looking for that kind of gig, but I didn’t hesitate. I believed in Wyndham and thought we made a good team. I probably wouldn’t have done it for anyone else.
It’s easy to say this now, but Wyndham always believed he had the talent to become one of the top 10 players in the world. I believed it, too. Yet it’s hard to keep that belief when the results aren’t there. Professional golf is a cold, sometimes heartbreaking, bottom-line business. You either make the cut or you don’t. You either earn enough to keep your card or you don’t. You either raise your game to an elite level or you don’t.
There were a few early years when Wyndham barely did well enough to stay on tour. Rather than breaking his spirit, it made him tougher. It made him a better player. Now, he’s reached the mountaintop. That’s not to say there weren’t doubts. Earlier this year he began working with a sports psychologist, Julie Elion. She has made a huge impact on his life, not just his golf, and has put him at ease. There’s a calmness about him that he didn’t have before. He would get a little uptight, very aware of the expectations of others and of himself. I don’t see that anymore, and it’s allowing him to play his best golf.
After he won the Wells Fargo Classic in May – a big event, on a great golf course, against a stellar field – I really thought it could be the start of something special. Again, easy to say now, but it’s true. Because here’s the crazy thing about this game: Until you actually get it done late on a Sunday when the world is watching, you don’t have anything to draw on in those situations when you’re trying to win a tournament.
Earlier this year, Wyndham made a ton of cuts in a row and had several chances to win, but didn’t get it done. As frustrating and disappointing as it was, I don’t think he was ready to win. I think he won at the right time. Winning breeds confidence. In the U.S. Open, he was nothing if not confident. He flew down the Tuesday before championship week and played a practice round. He texted me that night, “The golf course is awesome. It’s perfect for us. We’re going to win the U.S. Open.” It still gives me chills to think about it.
What’s it like to walk the fairways in the last group of a major on Sunday, with history on the line? Absolutely incredible. I’ve been playing golf since I was a young kid in San Jose, Calif., waking up at 5 a.m. so I could tag along with my dad when he played at the local public course. I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to Oregon, gave the pros a shot, and had a decently successful mini-tour career. I even played in two U.S. Opens (2008 and 2011).
But I never really got over the hump, and it’s the thrill of a lifetime to be in that situation with Wyndham and try to help him write his own chapter. Coming down the stretch, I was aiming to get his mind off what we’re ultimately trying to do, because obviously thinking about the U.S. Open and all that entails will add an extreme amount of pressure. The goal is for him to stay focused for the couple of minutes right before he’s hitting the shot, and then the rest of the time do our normal thing. We banter back and forth, talk about life, other sports.
The LA crowd was clearly rooting for our playing partner, Rickie Fowler. To me it’s a little frustrating because it almost doesn’t matter what we do, we don’t get as many cheers as I feel like my guy should get. Now, don’t get me wrong, Rickie is as good of a person as there is in this game and someone who Wyndham looks up to. We were both thrilled to see him win just a few weeks later in Detroit. But I wanted some love for my guy. I think he’ll start getting that now.
Speaking of love, the USGA made an incredibly classy gesture and presented me with the first-ever U.S. Open Caddie Platter during the trophy ceremony. The fact that my name is etched in something that will hopefully be presented to many caddies after me is one of the coolest things ever. Caddies don’t do what we do for the recognition. It’s more about our player and what he did.
Still, I’ll cherish this and the teamwork that it represents. The scene on the 18th green on Sunday is something I still replay over and over. After Wyndham tapped in the final putt, it almost felt like we were the only two people on Earth, even though there were thousands of fans surrounding the green. I hugged him and told him that he had made history, and that I loved him. All of his hard work had paid off. This is the stuff of dreams. He was crying, I was crying. It was a surreal moment that I will remember forever.