Windham Clark woke up Saturday morning splitting the lead, but he was two strokes off the pace after playing just one hole at Bay Hill.
The third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational started with a double bogey on the first hole due to a combination of bad drives and mistakes around the green.
But as he has so many times over the past 12 months, Clark bounced back with birdies on No. 3 and No. 6.
Suddenly, he was back in contention, fighting for the spot at 7 under.
Then we arrived at the par 4 9th hole, the most difficult hole on the course.
“It was the ‘9’ that really pissed me off,” Clark explained.
“I missed the fairway by three yards, the lie was bad, and I ended up chipping out in the middle of a really tough divot from 20 yards. And then my feelings came through. I shouldn’t have made the double there. . Should have made bogey.”
After hitting the third shot, Clark drove his wedge It digs into the grass and makes an already large divot even larger.
Then he walked away from the ninth green. He had two doubles in the opening game and entered the tournament with a 2-under 38.
But once again, Clark showed incredible resilience on the back nine.
“I was pretty steamy when I finished the No. 9 double,” Clark added.
“But really, it was just getting back to what makes me successful and getting back to my process goals for the day. The good thing was I was able to hit that double on the 9th hole, so it was a long shot until the 10th hole. I was able to gather myself and concentrate by walking, and then I was able to come down with a clatter. [two] Consecutive birdies. ”
Clark missed his 3-wood off the 10th tee and dropped his wedge to 3 feet for a tap-in birdie.
On the next hole, the difficult par-4 11th, Clark hit a nice drive down the middle of the fairway.
“Eleven is one of the really difficult tee shots,” Clark explained.
“If you decide on that, it will be a birdie hole.”
Then, a day after making an inexplicable bogey on the same hole, Clark made an impressive eagle on the par-5 12th.
“The hardest fairway on this course to hit was the 12th, but luckily the wind was coming from the left,” Clark added.
“I hit a good drive and went in with a 5-iron. I hit a great shot and made a putt. So really, it was just a good performance and the wind was in my favor for those three holes. was.”
Clark hit the grass over the course of four holes, going from being in contention for the championship at 5 under par to taking control of the tournament at 9 under par.
He remembered himself and got back on his feet and it paid off.
Clark then made five consecutive pars. some controversy arose 18th par 4.
no #penalty — After reviewing footage showing a possible rules violation by Windham Clark, rules officials concluded the ball was not moving. @espenbraker — Clark said he didn’t feel like he was moving. “I wasn’t trying to deceive you.”
Do you agree with the verdict?pic.twitter.com/BGkozGSmiR
— NUCLR Golf (@NUCLRGOLF) March 9, 2024
The 2023 U.S. Open champion’s ball ended up in the deep rough and missed the fairway to the right. He then placed a wedge behind the ball and felt the grass with the club, which caused the ball to move subtly. However, as the NBC broadcast explained, and rightly so, the ball never left its position, so it was considered a legitimate speech by Clark.
PGA Tour officials confirmed this to Clark and playing partner Scottie Scheffler after the round.
Still, Clark was unable to save par after hitting his second shot short of the green on the 18th.
“It’s disappointing to miss the last few holes, especially the 18th hole coming in,” Clark said.
“But it’s very difficult outside. There’s almost no grass. [the greens]. It’s spinning very fast. That being said, I didn’t think anyone would run away with it, and if someone did, I wouldn’t look at the scoreboard much. It’s too hard and it’s too hard to get away with it. I knew if I could stay close to par today, I would have a chance tomorrow. ”
Clark shot a 1-under 71, completing an impressive third round given the circumstances, including the weather, green speed, headspace and previous disdain for Bay Hill.
Now he heads into Sunday with all the confidence in the world, trailing Scheffler and Shane Lowry by one stroke.
“It’s really good to have confidence,” Clark said.
“The good news is that I’ve always read a lot of green books. I just haven’t started online in the last year or two. Now that I’m online I can consistently start and make putts. It is very fun.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
