Wyndham Clark’s hopes of winning Olympic gold are all but over after the American golfer suffered a disastrous first round in Paris.
Clark is one of four Americans seeking victory over four rounds at Le Golf National near Paris at this year’s Games.
But the 2023 US Open champion finds himself tied for 56th in a 60-man field after a disastrous first round of 75.
It could have been even worse for Clark, whose round began with bogey, double bogey, bogey. Two of his first three tee shots ended up in the water, and the other was also close to disaster.
He managed to stem the bleeding over the last 15 holes, making three birdies but also missing three more shots.
Wyndham Clark’s hopes of winning Olympic gold are all but over after a disastrous first round
Two of his first three tee shots hit the water, and the other also came close to a disaster.
That leaves Clark on four over par alongside India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar and world number 134 Daniel Hillier of New Zealand.
So after just one round, the 30-year-old Clark is already 12 strokes behind leader Hideki Matsuyama of Japan.
Fortunately for the United States, both Xander Schauffele and world number one Scottie Scheffler had better results during Thursday’s first round.
Schauffele, who has already won the PGA Championship and the Open Championship in 2024, is second, two shots behind Matsuyama.
Scheffler, meanwhile, is tied with nine other golfers for sixth place at four under par. He is joined by players such as Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood and Spanish star Jon Rahm.
Collin Morikawa is three shots further back at one under par, while Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is tied for 15th at three under par.