With just five weeks until the first major of the year, the PGA Tour’s best are fine-tuning their games for Augusta. While some are finding their rhythm, others continue to struggle—notably a certain two-time Masters champion whose dominance defined the 2024 season but has yet to materialize in 2025.

The 2023 US Open champion, Wyndham Clark, couldn’t help but reveal his true feelings during Thursday’s press conference at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational. When asked about his runner-up finish to Scottie Scheffler at last year’s tournament, Clark’s response was brutally honest: “It’s unfortunate. I had a few tournaments last year that if Scottie wasn’t in the field I would have won. Maybe can I get some redemption in these next few weeks and hopefully Scottie’s not up there,” he said with a laugh.

With Scheffler struggling to recapture his 2024 form, Clark’s candid admission offers a fascinating glimpse into the competitive mindset among top pros.

Clark’s frustration is understandable. Last season, he found himself repeatedly in Scheffler’s shadow, most notably at this very tournament, where the World No. 1 claimed victory by a commanding five strokes. At THE PLAYERS Championship, he held a four-stroke lead after 36 holes, only to watch Scheffler surge past him with a historic final-round 64, leaving Clark heartbroken after missing a crucial 4-foot putt on the 72nd hole that would have forced a playoff.

For any professional athlete, acknowledging a rival’s superiority is difficult. Clark’s candid comment—hoping for Scheffler’s absence from leaderboards—reveals the mental weight that comes with repeatedly finishing second best. Meanwhile, the 2025 version of Scheffler has looked vulnerable, posting underwhelming results: T9 at AT&T Pebble Beach, a shocking T25 at the WM Phoenix Open, and a T3 at Genesis, where a disastrous third-round 76 derailed his chances.

But talk is one thing—Clark’s actions in the opening round at Bay Hill spoke volumes about his intentions.

Wyndham Clark seizes early advantage at Bay Hill

If Clark’s words reflected his desire for revenge, his clubs delivered the message even more emphatically in Thursday’s opening round. Most of the field battled brutal conditions, with 30 mph gusts sending scores soaring. Meanwhile, Clark navigated Bay Hill with surgical precision, posting a field-leading 5-under 67 that put him two clear of his nearest competitor and a full four shots ahead of Scheffler.

The contrast between their performances couldn’t have been more striking. According to PGA Tour statistics, Clark’s 67 featured a bogey-free back nine with three birdies, including an 18-footer on the 16th and a closing tap-in on the 18th. Meanwhile, Scheffler ground out a respectable 1-under 71, but his uncharacteristic -1.1 strokes lost on the greens highlighted the difference between his current form and last year’s dominance.

“I would say for sure like the last five holes it calmed down a little bit. But then it was tough to find where the wind was, so that’s a challenge in itself,” Clark noted after his round. Despite the difficulties, he managed to post an impressive score on a day when the scoring average soared to 74.5 and just 14 players broke par.

More impressively, Clark’s strategic adjustments at Bay Hill demonstrate his evolution as a player. Rather than simply attempting to overpower the course with his prodigious length, he balanced aggression with calculated restraint. “I think in the past sometimes I would get out of position and I would try to make up for it and then I make a big number. I’ve just kind of learned to maybe put it back in play and just maybe make your par or bogey and not try to get those big numbers,” Clark explained, a maturity that helped him convert a less-than-stellar driving accuracy into an impressive greens-in-regulation percentage.

The timing couldn’t be better for Clark. With just one week until THE PLAYERS Championship—where Scheffler denied him victory last year—and five weeks until the Masters, his opening-round statement at Bay Hill hints that his “redemption” plans are more than just talk. Whether Scheffler can recapture the form that left Clark and others hoping for his absence remains the tournament’s defining question, but one thing is clear: Clark isn’t waiting for Scheffler to falter—he’s seizing his opportunity regardless.