Imagine your phone ringing. You pick it up, and your life changes. It’s quite a scary thought, isn’t it? Well, this is the reality that 19-year-old Wyndham Clark lived through. Just when he was only a couple shots away from the lead at the Western Amateur, a call from his aunt turned Clark’s life around. His mother, Lise Clark, was suffering from breast cancer at the time, and he was informed of her fast-declining condition.

Clark left it all and took the first flight home. 20 hours later, he lost his mom to the dreaded disease. Filled with grief, a young Clark did what many of us would do in his position: overachieve as a form of bandage for his fresh wounds. When he returned to Oklahoma State University later that summer, he continued to play smoothly. But the hole cast by his pain soon became wider.

Soon, it became impossible for him to cover it with a bandage. So like most people, Clark, a struggling young adult, did the next best thing: try and put an end to his golfing journey. Because when you lose someone you love the most, everything else seems futile. Thankfully for Clark, his mother’s two-word advice came to his rescue: “Play big.” So who really was Lise Clark?

A true fighter, the life story of Lise Clark is explored

Lise Gabrielle Dominique Thevenet Clark was born on December 30th, 1957. An ace National Sales Director at Mary Kay, Lise Clark had many talents outside of her glorious professional life. Foremost came her love for modeling and pageantry. The crown seemed to be her best friend growing up, and in 1981, she won the title of Miss New Mexico.

Her smile at receiving the crown exhibited the longing her 24-year-old version had for this achievement. A few years later, in April 1989, she decided to marry Robert Randall Clark in Los Angeles. The couple went on to have three children: Kristen, Wyndham, and Brendan.

But with the birth of her youngest, Mrs. Clark discovered the dreaded truth of her condition. It was revealed that she had breast cancer. She underwent chemotherapy for several years, but matters got out of hand in 2012. This was when it was discovered that her condition had worsened and she had developed stage 4 metastatic cancer.

Despite her struggles, however, Lise Clark’s love for life was undeterred. She went on to become a source of inspiration in the lives of her children. Like her husband, Mrs. Clark also had a love for sports. If Wyndham Clark is to be believed, not only could she throw a perfect spiral, but she could also beat all her family in ping pong. Having lived a life full of stories and changing lives for the better, Lise Clark passed away on August 2, 2013, at 55 years old.

But how did she serve as an inspiration in the story of her son’s life?

How was Lise Clark’s son’s source of inspiration?

“I’ve had the support of so many people. But none more than my mom. She remains my motivation for playing,” said Wyndham Clark. And it makes sense why. Lise Clark was the one to introduce her 3-year-old middle child to the game. She brought her toddler to a driving range one fine day and wrote the trajectory of his life. By the age of 6, he already had a hole-in-one to his name during a family trip to the mountains.

Even when she was sick, she made sure to inspire her young son. She said to her talented son, “Play for something bigger than yourself. You have a platform to either witness, help, or be a role model for so many people.” And that’s exactly what he has been doing since. Clark already has three career wins on the PGA Tour to his name, including his feat at the 2023 U.S. Open. But why did he dedicate his major feat to his mother?

When Wyndham Clark dedicated his first major win to his rock, his mother

Nothing can fill the void that Clark lives with. Losing a parent is the most painful experience one can undergo, but it’s the aftermath of living a life without them that truly breaks a person’s heart. Clark realizes that he can no longer text his mom or call her to tell her about his wins. All he can do is remember her and remind himself that she’s watching. So that’s what he did when he achieved what his mother could only have dreamt of for him—his first major win.

Remembering his mother, Clark said, “I wish she could be here, but I know she’s proud of me, and she’s made a huge impact on my life—I am who I am today because of her. She was kind of my rock and my always-there supporter. So when things were tough or when things were going great, she was always there to keep me grounded and either bring me up or keep the high going. I’m getting a little choked up. She’s everything, and I miss her, and everything I do out here is a lot for her.”

Even though Lise Clark can no longer be there to watch her son succeed, we’ll also “never truly know why God takes people from this earth at such a young age.” But we do know that she is watching over him through his wins and his losses and wishing him all the best as he continues to live up to her “play big” advice.