Tough Breaks
Players Championship: Watch Wyndham Clark lose on one of the most gut-wrenching lipouts ever
Kevin C. Cox
Wyndham Clark's 18th hole birdie attempt looked so good, he took not one, but two steps toward a celebratory fist pump. He was left feeling like he took a combo to the gut.
The reigning U.S. Open champ's final gasp capped a dramatic Sunday at TPC Sawgrass as Scottie Scheffler emerged with a one-shot win. The World No. 1 shot a final-round 64 to become the first player to successfully defend his title at the Players. But first, he had to dodge some bullets.
His three closest trailers, Clark, Brian Harman, and Xander Schauffele all had birdie putts to tie Scheffler at 20 under. But no one came closer than Clark, whose miss will go down as one of the most brutal lipouts of all time—especially considering what was on the line. See for yourself:
That's tough to watch. Heartbreak, indeed. Let's take a closer look, shall we?
Good lord, that's painful. In another angle, you can see Clark take a step, then another step as the ball catches the hole, before he and his caddie, John Ellis, react in disbelief.
Clark had made consecutive birdies on 16 and 17 to give himself a chance. But again, it wasn't meant to be.
"I don't know how that putt doesn't go in," Clark said after. "It was kind of right center with like a foot to go, and I knew it was going to keep breaking, but it had speed and I thought it was going to good inside left, and even when it kind of lipped, I thought it would lip in. I'm pretty gutted it didn't go in."
We don't blame you, Wyndham. It's a second consecutive runner-up for Clark, who finished second by five shots to Scheffler last week at Bay Hill. But we have a feeling he'll be thinking about this one more. A lot more.