Clark an inch from a 59 at Pebble

PEBBLE BEACH — On a day when the big concern at Pebble Beach was about the future, Wyndham Clark did something about the present.

Clark shot a 12-under par 60 Saturday in the third round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a course record.

And was within one inch, the distance his birdie putt at 17 halted short of the cup, of recording a magical 59.

“I hadn’t been in contention probably since my U.S. Open win,” conceded Clark. “To kind of have those nerves, and then obviously you’re chasing 59.” 

The U.S. Open was in June at Los Angeles. The ATT is in February on the  Monterey Peninsula where rain has been falling—it arrived again on  Saturday around 2:30 p.m. after play concluded—and according to forecasts will hit in apocalyptic proportions on Sunday.  

Which is the reason for the continual worry about what might happen. Will the course be flooded. Will competition need to be delayed? Will the tournament end on Monday? Or Tuesday (as last year and many years in the past)? Or not at all?   

PGA Tour officials will check the weather maps, the course conditions and decide early Sunday whether it’s go or no-go.

“We need to make every effort to play 72 holes,” said Gary Young of the Tour.

With 54 of those 72 completed, Wyndham—not unexpectedly after his 28-32-60, from two eagles, nine birdies and a bogey (on the par-3 12th)—is in front with a 17-under par 199.

Then comes Ludvig Aberg, 67-200, Matthieu Pavon, 66-201, Mark Hubbard, 65-202, and Thomas Detry, 69-202. 

Clark won twice in 2023, including the U.S Open at LACC, and then was chosen for America’s Ryder Cup team, which in early autumn was whipped by Europe. He hadn’t done much the start of 2024. Until Saturday.

Those 60s will get you on to any leader board.

“Probably what was going on internally,” said Clark, when asked what impressed him about his golf. “I started feeling the nerves at 10, and you know making that bogey putt at 12 was huge.”  

“But in my mind, I think in the past I would have kind of coasted and shot a nice 8-9 under. To keep the pedal down and to stay aggressive mentally was the impressive thing about myself. And then making all those putts was out of the ordinary, It was awesome.” 

The issue in golf, as in any sport, is to concentrate on the matter at hand.  Friday, Scottie Scheffler, confronted with a question about weather possibilities, said he was too busy thinking about how he might hit practice shots. In other words, what he could control, not about the havoc nature could create.

“As far as no round (Sunday),” said Clark, “I’ve definitely thought about it, with everyone saying how bad the weather is going to be. All right. Well, you definitely got to have the mentality that today’s the last day and go for broke.”  

He went, and almost broke 60.