If you follow Wyndham Clark on social media, you’ll probably be familiar with his “play big” motto. He doesn’t just utter these words to get himself up for a tournament – they have real meaning, as does the reason he wears pink on a Sunday.
His late mom, Lise, who took Wyndham to the driving range when he was three years old, lost her battle with breast cancer in August 2013. Years later, Clark would create a foundation in her honor: the ‘Play Big Foundation’.
The main aim of the foundation is to help with the financial burden for those going through cancer, which is something Clark and his family experienced. The foundation also helps underprivileged children.
“She’s a lot of the reason why I play today,” Clark once told the school newspaper at Oregon, where he went to university. “She was there when I played bad, and there to console me and make me feel better. When I played great she was there to hug me and be super excited for me. She was a huge part of my upbringing.”
Clark, who was narrowly beaten to the Players Championship title by Scottie Scheffler, has won three times on the PGA Tour, with his biggest victory coming last year at the 2023 US Open.
The gratitude I feel for this moment will never be matched. Thank you to every person who has ever supported me and continues to support me. I am humbled and honored to be your United States Open Champion. #PLAYBIG pic.twitter.com/zU9MwTfXhgJune 20, 2023
It was an significant victory for the man from Denver, who had came close to quitting the game following his mother’s death.
“It just wasn’t as much of a priority for me after she passed,” he once said. “It got to where it was really hard and just not enjoyable. But I know that she wouldn’t want me to do that.
“She’s really helped me get through a lot of tough things since she’s passed. I want to honor her and honor what she wanted me to do and try to make her proud.”
Ten days after his mother’s death, Clark competed in the US Amateur, finishing ninth. A decade later, he won the US Open title. It was, understandably, a very emotional week.
“I know my mom is proud of me. She's always been proud of me, regardless of how I'm doing or what I'm doing. I just wish she could be here and we could enjoy this,” he said.
“It's been a pretty amazing week because my mom lived in LA for a few years and I've had some people come up to me and show pictures of my mom when they knew her back in her 20s and early 30s when she was living here.
“That just happened this week, so it was kind of a special vibe all week being here in LA. My parents got married at Riviera Country Club. I have some roots a little bit in this area.
“All I really wish is that my mom could be here and I could just hug her and we could celebrate together. But I know she's proud of me.”
Given the upward trajectory of Clark's career, it appears as though we can get used to seeing the man in pink playing big on many more Sunday afternoons in the years to come.
