Wyndham Clark’s aspirations for Olympic gold seem dashed after a disastrous opening round at Le Golf National in Paris. Clark, one of four Americans vying for victory, finds himself tied for 56th in a 60-man field after scoring a 75 in the first round.
The 2023 US Open Champion’s round started poorly with a bogey, double bogey, and another bogey, as two of his first three tee shots landed in the water. Despite stabilizing over the remaining 15 holes, with three birdies and three more dropped shots, Clark is four-over-par. He shares this position with India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar and New Zealand’s world No. 134 Daniel Hillier.
Clark now trails leader Hideki Matsuyama of Japan by 12 shots after just one round.
In better news for the United States, both Xander Schauffele and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had strong starts. Schauffele, having already claimed the PGA Championship and Open Championship in 2024, is in second place, two shots behind Matsuyama. Scheffler is part of a nine-way tie for sixth at four-under-par, alongside notable players like Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood and Spain’s Jon Rahm.
Collin Morikawa sits three shots behind at one-under-par, while Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is tied for 15th at three-under-par.