PGA Tour’s Wyndham Clark Talks BMW Win, Denver Broncos & More with Rich

Wyndham Clark has won the Byron Nelson, the U.S. Open and now the BMW Championship, and Rich would like it noted that all of this started at a dinner on Long Island.

Clark, to his credit, played along completely, saying he should have thanked Rich in an interview for the start of his great play. He had watched Rich win $260 in a skins game before heading to Shinnecock for a practice round two days later.

The actual answer is less funny and more useful. Clark's swing got into an amazing spot after a change with his coach, and the difference from 2024 into 2025 was simply that he had not been hitting it well. At the Byron Nelson his irons and putting were already there, the driver was not, and then he hit a ton of fairways and won.

"It's amazing what momentum can do in golf," he said.

The Open produced the moment he did not see coming. Clark's father had not been to many tournaments and did not want to jinx anything, so his agent, his girlfriend, his sports psychologist and his friends all hid him. Clark did not know his dad was there until he holed the last putt and saw him walking off the green.

Asked what he has worked on beyond the physical, Clark pointed off the course entirely. Limit the distractions, get everything else handled, and then the only thing left to do on the course is play golf. Week to week you fine-tune, you get into contention, you lose but you are close, and eventually you break through.

He described the comfort that follows as the actual skill. It is not surprising that Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler win when they are in contention on a weekend, because they are used to being there and they love it. Clark is learning that.

Sunday at the BMW was the evidence. He was not as sharp as he had been the first three days, and in years past that turned into a second or third place finish because he lost his cool. This time he stayed patient, decided he could not miss every putt, and the birdies came in bunches at the end.

Rich then handed him a harder question, because Deshaun Watson getting booed had been the show's dominant story all week. How do you handle hearing that?

"I'm not going to lie, it sucks," Clark said. He wants to be cheered for. But he also played basketball, and he loved an away gym and loved silencing a crowd. His approach is to stay humble, keep his head down, and let winning change minds.

Then he offered the line a friend gave him recently.

"Keep your head up. It's all right if they don't root for you. Just remember Darth Vader had more fun."

Rich pointed out, with a spoiler warning, that Darth eventually came back around to the good side.

On the Broncos, Clark led with the asterisk. If Bo Nix is healthy, Denver can be really good. The schedule is the problem, with the first six or seven games brutal and many of the toughest ones on the road against teams favored to win the Super Bowl. If Denver sits around .500 through that stretch, he feels confident. He is also encouraged by adding Jaylen Waddle and some defensive pieces.

"If we win 10 games, I think we win the Super Bowl," Clark said.

A Denver native, he was about four when Elway helicoptered, and just out of college for the Von Miller title. His summary of that one was efficient: the year before, Seattle shut them up, and then Miller more or less put Cam Newton into retirement.

He also thinks Nix is underrated in a way he recognizes, noting Nix put up a stat line last season comparable to Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert without any of the accompanying love.

Then came the win-loss game, and Clark promised to be as unbiased as possible.

He took the Monday night opener in Kansas City, then swept the Chiefs at home later, saying Denver is turning a tide after roughly six years without beating them. He gave up the Rams on Sunday night, the Chargers on the road and the Seahawks at home. He took San Francisco on the road on the strength of being a big Christian McCaffrey fan. He admitted betting the Cardinals under, which made that one a necessity. He conceded Josh Allen is too tough to beat twice.

Final answer: 11-6.

"11 and 6 makes the playoffs," Clark said, "and then I think we win the whole thing."

The last order of business was TJ Jefferson's allegiance, which Dan Lanning purchased with a pair of Oregon shoes. Clark asked the only question that matters, which is who TJ roots for when the Ducks play one of his existing teams.

TJ held the line on loyalty until Rich proposed an undefeated Oregon against a mediocre Duke.

"I'm the quack," TJ said.