PONTE VEDRA BEACH — The biggest lock in life? Throwing someone under the bus immediately after saying “I’m not trying to throw anyone under the bus.”
This theory was proven correct on Saturday evening by Wyndham Clark, who chunked the hell out of a sand wedge at the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass. Fortunately, he was able to save a clutch bogey, keeping him just one shot back of Xander Schauffele heading into the final round of the Players Championship.
RELATED: Wyndham Clark passing on Augusta National (twice!) is his cockiest move yet
Co-leader Wyndham Clark's ball finds the water at No. 17. pic.twitter.com/jnfLqyWSJj
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 16, 2024
Afterward, Clark was asked if he lost his focus prior to the chunk seen ’round the world. He answered with an emphatic no before kinda sorta blaming it on a suggestion from his caddie, John Ellis, to ease up on a sand wedge for the 123-yard shot.
“I mean, I’m not throwing John under the bus by any means, but it was probably a perfect sand wedge,” Clark said. “He thought if I nuked it, it could get on top. Kind of, as we were walking to put the ball down, he’s like, Let’s take a little off a full sand wedge. As I was over the ball I kind of got to the top and I was like, take a little off and then I just kind of deceled and chunked it. It wasn’t really a lack of focus or anything. It just was honestly a poor swing.”
In fairness, Clark did couch it by blaming it on a poor swing, but man, Ellis has to feel like he just had a Greyhound roll over his entire body.
Clark and Ellis have a great relationship, it should be noted. No ill will here. However, Clark did throw him under the bus a second time later in his post-round interview. The reigning U.S. Open champion also found the water at the par-4 12th earlier in the round, and again it may have been because of one of Ellis’ suggestions, according to Clark.
“On 12, yeah. I don’t know, I’m still—I think I like laying up there. John was really pushing for me to go for it,” Clark said. “He just said anything past is great. I thought, we just made a great birdie, kind of why lose momentum. I don’t know, we’ll rethink it going into tomorrow.”
Jeez. Poor John. Guy is going to be second-guessing everything on Sunday now, which is no way to do your job. Perhaps Clark should imply the old Phil Mickelson “veto” rule he used to have with Jim “Bones” Mackay and overrule him. Will be very interesting to see these two in their office on Sunday.
RELATED: Rickie Fowler was furious with a fan at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
