- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,144,747
- Reaction score
- 59
For the second straight week, a player has withdrawn from a PGA Tour event after collecting a victory.
Two weeks ago, Aaron Rai captured the title at the PGA Championship, giving the 31-year-old his first major title (and his second Tour victory after winning the Wyndham Championship in 2024). Rai then promptly pulled out of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Dallas.
And the winner of that event, Wyndham Clark, used the same move, announcing on Monday that he was a WD from this week's Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.
The winner of the 2023 U.S. Open, Clark, who had climbed as high as third in the Official World Golf Ranking two years ago, hadn't won since the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He didn't qualify for any of the signature events this season and his world ranking dipped to No. 75 entering the Byron Nelson.
"It's been a pretty heavy fall," he said after the win. "It's frustrating, but that's golf. I went through kind of a tough spurt, not swinging it good, not feeling comfortable with a lot of things, and I did a lot of work this off-season working on my golf swing. Then I started hitting it better but wasn't making the putts. Then finally landed on a great putter, and then everything's been kind of coming together.
On Sunday, Clark didn’t just close at TPC Craig Ranch — he overwhelmed it. A dazzling Sunday charge, Clark fired an 11-under 60 to run away with the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, finishing three clear of Si Woo Kim and five ahead of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
The turning point came on the second nine, where Clark fired a blistering 28, featuring a moment of pure electricity at the par-5 12th, where he poured in a 15-foot eagle putt to vault into the lead. From there, he never looked back. At the par-4 15th, Clark delivered the knockout blow, rolling in a 45-foot birdie that brought the crowd to life and effectively ended the chase.
By the time he tapped in on the 72nd hole, Clark had claimed his fourth PGA Tour title, doing so with a performance that turned a tightly packed leaderboard into a one-man showcase.
"Needless to say, it feels amazing to be back in the winner's circle," Clark said. "I feel like my game's trending in a great direction to continue to have success through the rest of the year."
Clark was replaced in the field by Lanto Griffin. Also, Brooks Koepka had previously withdrawn from this week's event at Colonial.
Koepka, who had played four of the last five weeks, finished T-14 at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sunday. He has committed to play in the RBC Canadian Open in two weeks and is exempt into the U.S. Open, which he won in 2018, the last time it was played at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, which will be the site of this year’s Open in three weeks.
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Wyndham Clark withdraws from Charles Schwab Challenge
Continue reading...
Two weeks ago, Aaron Rai captured the title at the PGA Championship, giving the 31-year-old his first major title (and his second Tour victory after winning the Wyndham Championship in 2024). Rai then promptly pulled out of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Dallas.
And the winner of that event, Wyndham Clark, used the same move, announcing on Monday that he was a WD from this week's Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.
The winner of the 2023 U.S. Open, Clark, who had climbed as high as third in the Official World Golf Ranking two years ago, hadn't won since the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He didn't qualify for any of the signature events this season and his world ranking dipped to No. 75 entering the Byron Nelson.
"It's been a pretty heavy fall," he said after the win. "It's frustrating, but that's golf. I went through kind of a tough spurt, not swinging it good, not feeling comfortable with a lot of things, and I did a lot of work this off-season working on my golf swing. Then I started hitting it better but wasn't making the putts. Then finally landed on a great putter, and then everything's been kind of coming together.
On Sunday, Clark didn’t just close at TPC Craig Ranch — he overwhelmed it. A dazzling Sunday charge, Clark fired an 11-under 60 to run away with the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, finishing three clear of Si Woo Kim and five ahead of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
You must be registered for see images
The turning point came on the second nine, where Clark fired a blistering 28, featuring a moment of pure electricity at the par-5 12th, where he poured in a 15-foot eagle putt to vault into the lead. From there, he never looked back. At the par-4 15th, Clark delivered the knockout blow, rolling in a 45-foot birdie that brought the crowd to life and effectively ended the chase.
By the time he tapped in on the 72nd hole, Clark had claimed his fourth PGA Tour title, doing so with a performance that turned a tightly packed leaderboard into a one-man showcase.
"Needless to say, it feels amazing to be back in the winner's circle," Clark said. "I feel like my game's trending in a great direction to continue to have success through the rest of the year."
"Today feels really special after having a really tough year...I'm happy where I'm at right now."@Amanda_Balionis caught up with @cjbyronnelson winner Wyndham Clark. pic.twitter.com/No4Ftvf6oh
— Golf on CBS(@GolfonCBS) May 24, 2026
Clark was replaced in the field by Lanto Griffin. Also, Brooks Koepka had previously withdrawn from this week's event at Colonial.
Koepka, who had played four of the last five weeks, finished T-14 at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sunday. He has committed to play in the RBC Canadian Open in two weeks and is exempt into the U.S. Open, which he won in 2018, the last time it was played at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, which will be the site of this year’s Open in three weeks.
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Wyndham Clark withdraws from Charles Schwab Challenge
Continue reading...
