The Masters: Wyndham Clark takes shot at LIV Golf

Wyndham Clark appeared to take aim at LIV Golf in bullish comments made after his underwhelming opening day at The Masters.

The US Open champion had just fired a one-over 71 in his first competitive round at Augusta National to trail overnight leader Bryson DeChambeau by eight shots. 

Clark has been widely tipped this week to become the first man since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win on his Masters debut, but his mixed round left him well adrift of LIV’s early pacesetter DeChambeau.

And with plenty of work to do on Friday, the fiery 30-year-old dug out the breakaway circuit’s format in an eyebrow-raising post-round interview.

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“Yeah, we’ve got 54 holes,” Clark said when asked if the eight-shot deficit was surmountable. “In LIV Golf they only play 54, so I like my chances.

“We’ve got a lot of golf left,” he added. “As you can see, someone shot 7-under. I could do that tomorrow.”

Clark’s remarks, perhaps unsurprisingly, caused quite the stir on social media as Thursday’s storm-delayed first round drew to a close.

"Yeah, we've got 54 holes. In LIV Golf they only play 54, so I like my chances."

Wyndham Clark feels confident he can still catch the leaders after his first round at the Masters. pic.twitter.com/xcvLGq0mrz

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 11, 2024

Some raised the fact that the American won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am two months ago after the signature PGA Tour event was curtailed at 54 holes due to weather, while Clark has also openly admitted to meeting with LIV bosses in the past before resisting their overtures.

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“I definitely met with LIV and went through those discussions,” Clark admitted after his Pebble Beach win in February.

“I wanted to see what they could bring to the table. I ultimately declined going to LIV because I felt like I still have a lot of things left in the tank on the PGA Tour and I wanted to chase records, I wanted to chase world ranking.

“My dream is to try to be one of the top players in the world if not the top player. I just grew up always imagining winning PGA Tour events. So I ultimately, I chose my legacy over LIV… that’s really what it came down to.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.