Unless you’ve been living under a rock, there’s a new name in the world of golf that you should have heard of by now – Wyndham Clark. However, before we deep dive into Wyndham Clark’s net worth and career highlights, let’s take a closer look at how this relatively unknown athlete has suddenly become the talk of the town.
Over the years, the world of sports has witnessed several David vs Goliath battles. For instance, the foxes of Leicester City, with Claudio Ranieri at the helm, lifted the coveted Premier League title in 2015-16, just a season after their return to England’s top-tier football league. Again, a stroll down memory lane takes us to a Sunday afternoon in Minnesota 14 years back, where a certain Y.E. Yang, with just one win on the PGA tour, outclassed the legendary Tiger Woods to win the PGA Championship. The debate on the greatest rags to riches lore is never-ending, and it is one relished by fans and pundits alike.
On Sunday, the Hollywood hills served as the mise-en-scène for yet another underdog story. The hero-esque Rory McIlroy was denied the US Golf Open title by Wyndham Clark― a golfer with just one mainstream tour victory under his belt― at the Los Angeles Country Club. With this defeat, McIlrory’s nine-year drought for a major win was extended yet again. However, for Clark, it was a day to remember, one which undeniably has shot him to fame.
The 29-year-old American golfer had tears of joy as he celebrated his first US Golf Open title, a competition in which his previous best finish was not even within the top 50. However, not only did he earn the glittering trophy, but he also won a substantial monetary prize.
As we celebrate Wyndham Clark’s incredible triumph over the Irish stalwart, here is a look at his net worth, including his career earnings, brand deals and more.
Deep diving into Wyndham Clark’s golf career
Clark’s early days as an amateur golfer
Born on December 9, 1993, Wyndham Clark spent his childhood in Denver, Colorado, where he attended Valor Christian High School. Notably, he was classmates with National Football League player Christian McCaffrey. While in high school, he won the Colorado State Golf Championship twice in 2009 and 2011 and was even named Player of the Year in the latter edition.
Clark later went to study at Oklahoma State University where he joined the Oklahoma State Cowboys, an intercollegiate athletic team. At the 2013 US Amateur Championship, he was tied for ninth place in stroke play. He later enrolled at the University of Oregon and played as part of the Oregon Ducks in 2016, with whom he actually won the Pac-12 Championship in 2017. He was also recognised as GolfWeek’s 2016 Player of the Year and eventually graduated from the university with a business degree.
His entry into the world of professional golf
In 2017, Clark decided to go professional and earned his card for the 2018 season after finishing the 2017 Web.com Tour qualifying in a tie for the 23rd spot. He made 24 starts in the following season and his impressive performance, studded with four top-10 finishes, won him a place in the PGA Tour for the 2018-19 season.
In 2020, Clark came tantalisingly close to winning his first silverware at the Bermuda Championship where he finished second after losing a playoff to PGA Tour veteran Brian Gay.
Summer of ’23― The ‘best days’ of his life
To quote Bryan Adams, the summer of 2023 has, indeed, given Clark some of ‘the best days’ of his life. While he continued drawing the attention of several pundits in the past few years with 14 top-10 finishes in the PGA tour, it was in 2023 that he finally laid hands on the first silverware of his professional career. In May, Clark triumphed over fellow American golfer Xander Schauffele, winner of a 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal, to win the coveted Wells Fargo Championship at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A month later, Clark prevailed over Rory McIlroy, a former world number one who has spent over 100 weeks at the summit, by a single stroke to win the US Golf Open, one of the four major championships in professional golf. Interestingly, his previous best finish at the US Golf Open was a tie for the 75th spot.
“I have dreamed about this moment for so long,” an elated Clark said after his win at the Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday. “I have worked so hard to be here, I have visualised winning this championship. I just feel like it was my time,” he added.
The win saw Wyndham Clark leap 19 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking on the PGA Tour to reach his career-best ranking of 13th. Overall, Clark’s position on the leaderboard has improved by leaps and bounds in the past couple of months as at the start of May, he occupied the 80th spot.
What is Wyndham Clark’s net worth?
As per a report by Celebrity Net Worth, Wyndham Clark’s net worth stands at USD 6 million. The 29-year-old professional golfer has made most of his fortune from regularly participating in the PGA Tour. Additionally, a few brands he endorses have also contributed to his overall wealth.
Wyndham Clark’s net worth: His career earnings
Focusing on his earnings from professional golf alone, the data from his PGA Tour bio suggests that Wyndham Clark has made USD 15.02 million in his professional career so far.
In his first season, he earned USD 17,000 (approximately) from five events. Even though he played a lesser number of events, he earned more than four times the amount in his next season― around USD 68,000 – as it marked a considerable improvement in his performance.
Clark’s earnings touched the USD 1 million mark for the first time in the 2018-19 season when he made his debut in the PGA Tour. He made nearly USD 1.3 million as he took part in 27 events.
For the next three seasons, Clark maintained a rather steady income. He earned USD 815,000, USD 1.2 million and USD 1.5 million (all figures are approximations) in the 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons respectively. He participated in over 20 events in each of the seasons.
How much prize money did Wyndham Clark win at the US Golf Open 2023?
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Clark has made a lion’s share of his income in the ongoing 2022-23 season, having taken home over USD 10 million (so far) in winnings from 22 events. Of this, he has made USD 3.6 million by just winning the US Golf Open on Sunday. The amount matched his winnings from the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this year.
Which brands does Wyndham Clark endorse?
In 2022, American actor, producer and two-time Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg, alongside award-winning American film and television producer Stephen Levinson, partnered with Harry Arnett, the former Callaway Golf executive, to launch MUNICIPAL, an apparel and sport utility gear manufacturing brand. The same year, they roped in Wyndham Clark as a brand ambassador prior to the launch of their golf capsule in March.
Clark also has a sponsorship deal with Titleist, a Massachusetts-based brand of golf equipment by the Acushnet Company. He uses 12 of Titleist’s clubs including a Titleist TSi3 driver with an Accra TZ Six ST 60 M5 shaft and a Titleist T200 3-iron with a Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 100HY X shaft, among others. He also uses a Titleist Pro V1x ball.
Clark can be seen endorsing both MUNICIPAL and Titleist products on Instagram from time to time.
Previously, Wyndham Clark was a brand ambassador for Parsons Xtreme Golf, a global sports equipment manufacturing company founded by Bob Parsons, who is also the founder of the web hosting service GoDaddy. Clark signed an endorsement deal with PXG in 2017 when he turned into a professional golfer, and the manufacturer’s name used to be on the front of his cap until recently when it was replaced by Titleist.
At the onset of his professional golf career, Clark used to be represented by Wasserman golf agent Terry Reilly, who also secured Clark an endorsement deal in 2017 with Nike. Clark used to sport apparel and shoes made by Nike before becoming the brand ambassador for MUNICIPAL.
Where does Wyndham Clark reside?
Clark lives in Scottsdale, Arizona along with his wife Julia Kemmling. He also has a residence in Las Vegas, Nevada, as per a Celebrity Net Worth report.
A quick look at Clark’s Instagram profile suggests that he enjoys fishing and hiking in his leisure time, apart from spending time with his friends.
Is Wyndham Clark involved with works of charity?
Over the years, Wyndham Clark has been involved with a number of charitable organisations. The most prominent of them is the First Tee― Colorado Rocky Mountains, a non-profit organisation. As per their official website, they aim to ‘Educate and inspire youth academically, socially and physically through the game of golf.’
Clark has previously expressed his desire to open a breast cancer foundation in memory of his mother, who passed away in 2013 after suffering from the same.
(Main and feature image credits: Courtesy DAVID CANNON/David Cannon Collection/Getty Images via AFP)
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