“To the limit of unfairness.” That was Wyndham Clark’s forecast last week. That’s how he saw life on tour in case Scottie Scheffler found a way to cure his problems on the green.
The wounds were still open after the blow that Clark and company had received at Bay Hill, where the world number one ended the life of his competition. He was ruthless and sinister.
“I never want to wish ill on anyone,” Clark said. ‘But…’ Well, genius or no genius, the conflict arrived at Scheffler’s doorstep on Friday.
The defending champion, bidding to become the first player to retain this title, spent much of his second round suffering from a neck problem. He needed treatment mid-round. He tried to ease the pain, again and again, by tilting and turning his head.
“Today I hit a shot on my second hole and felt something in my neck, and then I tried to hit my tee shot on 12, and that’s when I could barely get the club back,” he later revealed. “Most of the day I was working to somehow get away from the club.”
Wyndham Clark took control of The Players with a second straight 65 at TPC Sawgrass
World number one Scottie Scheffler needed treatment for a neck injury during Friday’s second round
There was no warning, but there were soon fears that his title defense could end in two rounds. And yet? Scheffler still shot a three-under par 69. That left him six off the lead on a day when Clark threatened to end this competition before the weekend.
“I did enough to stay in the tournament, that’s all I could ask for,” Scheffler admitted. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue playing… I hope he loosens up and tomorrow he can make somewhat normal changes.”
It was the reigning US Open champion who held on tighter to Scheffler at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. At TPC Sawgrass, it was Scheffler’s turn to hold on.
Clark finished with a second straight 65 that included a six-under par 30 on his back nine (starting on the 10th hole). That gave him a five-shot clubhouse lead just as Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, his fellow overnight lead, were getting started. their second rounds. “I got into a good zone … and shot an unbelievable number,” he said.
Clark, the reigning US Open champion, made seven birdies in his final 11 holes of the second round.
Scheffler, who is bidding to defend his title in Florida, held on with a three-under par 69.
To think there was a time when this course gave him ‘fits’ and ‘chills’. He has been disqualified (for signing an incorrect scorecard) and has suffered consecutive missed cuts. The lowest point of his putt? Here, last year.
This week, meanwhile, Clark’s preparation was hampered by pain and a couple of changes in his hotel room. Not that she has shown it.
On Friday, after reaching par through the first seven holes, Clark exploded. Six birdies came over the next eight holes as he pulled away from the pack. Another came on the last hole. Unfair limit? Even a Scheffler in full swing would have had difficulty keeping up.
Clark later claimed he was unaware of the world number one’s problems in the front group. “I’ve been really focused on what I’m trying to do,” she said. “I haven’t seen any other noise.”
However, that doesn’t mean Clark is blind to what’s going on around him. He may have cursed Scheffler last week, but he has reason to thank him, too.
“I really owe him a lot for my good golf lately,” Clark said of the world number one.
“I really owe him a lot for my good golf lately,” he said. “I really looked at how Scottie has been playing this year and last year and use him as someone to try to keep up with.”
Clark added: “His play and consistency and he really is kind of an indicator right now of where you want to try to be…Scottie is always in contention.” “He has pushed me to be better.”
Like Scheffler, Clark has benefited from a new club and new control in his top two inches.
‘When I switched to the putter I was using, that Jailbird, I started seeing a lot of putts go in, and then all the work I did off the course on my mental game, I started seeing it on the course,’ he said.
Heading into this weekend, Clark has made 16 birdies. He has gained more than seven and a half strokes on the greens and more than 13 shots overall. At the time of this writing, no one could match any of those numbers. After two rounds, he was among the best in the field in length off the tee (tied 11th), greens in regulation (1st) and putting (third). That helps.
Clark took advantage of his luck at times, most obviously in the fourth when his approach hit Brian Harman’s ball. That allowed him to make a much easier birdie putt. Perhaps the most crucial moment of this round, however, came on the next hole, when he saved par from 22 feet.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue playing,” Scheffler admitted after the second round.
“Probably the biggest putt of the day in terms of momentum,” he said. “Then I birdied two of the last four, which was huge.” Especially as other challengers, like Matt Fitzpatrick, faltered.
Surprisingly, the world number 5 was +5000 to win here earlier this week. Victory would put him among the favorites for next month’s Masters. Alongside her father and his brother, Clark recently played Augusta for the first time.
“I had two opportunities to go before that, and I made a little pact with myself that I wouldn’t go until I was eligible to play in the tournament,” he said. “It’s something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”
This could also be an unforgettable week.