“My mom first took me to play golf, but my dad was the one who got me into golf,” Wyndham Clark explained at the 2023 U.S. Open after winning. The golf pro had an early start in golf—being introduced to clubs, balls, and courses at the age of 3—and throughout his career, the now 30-year-old’s family has been the greatest support system.

His first-ever moment on a golf course, however, is one not many would expect. Clark’s journey to becoming a professional golfer was perhaps one of pure chance—a chance that his mom led him to one tense morning at home!

Clark’s mother’s need for a break led him to the sport

This week Wyndham Clark is at the BMW Championship, trying to move up in the overall FedEx Cup standings (he’s currently 6th). Ahead of the event, the golf pro was asked about how he kick-started his golfing career. Clark revealed that when he was 3, his dad was out of town for a business trip. Given that he has two siblings, an older sister, Kristin, who was six back then, and a younger brother, Brendan, who was just born, his mom was home alone with three kids.

“My mom was like, I’ve just got to get Wyndham out of the house,” he said in the interview. 3YO Clark back then was exceptionally active and energetic, and his mom just needed a break so that she could get to work. “So she started driving thinking she was going to go to some fun play area and then saw the golf course that was pretty close to our house, and she just pulled in and said, Maybe this will distract him for a while,” he said.

The golf pro ended up hitting two buckets of balls for two or three hours, and that’s when he realized that he enjoyed it. “I just was fascinated with hitting the golf ball. That’s kind of where it started,” concluded Wyndham Clark.

Although it was his dad who tagged along with himself for practices that followed once he found his first love, it was Clark’s mother who had a lasting impression on him. It’s now been 11 years since she passed away, and the 30-year-old still plays by her words.

Wyndham Clark was asked to ‘Play Big’

For 11 years now, Wyndham Clark has only carried a two-word rule in every championship. “When she was sick and I was in college, she told me, ‘Hey, play big,’” he told the reporters after his second round at the 2023 US Open. Shortly after Lise Clark gave birth to her youngest son, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. 2 years of chemotherapy later, she seemed to be in the clear. Unfortunately, that didn’t last. In 2012, Lise was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer. A year later, she passed away.

Wyndham Clark had once revealed that he had many support systems in his life, but none was greater than his mom. “Play for something bigger than yourself. You have a platform to either witness, help, or be a role model for so many people,” she had told him. And that’s what he’s always tried to do. It’s helped him grab 3 wins, including 1 major! And undoubtedly, a few more are yet to come. All owed to his mother, who’s undoubtedly smiling down on him from above.