Denver native Wyndham Clark falls a little short of a 2nd straight PGA Tour win, but caps off the best stretch of his career, with 5 consecutive top-11 finishes, including 2 victories; ex-DU golfer Anna Zanusso places 4th in LET event
By Gary Baines
For a guy who said he was running on “fumes” going into the final round of the Travelers Championship, Wyndham Clark certainly came close to backing up his U.S. Open victory with another win.
Alas, an uncharacteristically poor shot approach from the middle of the fairway on the 17th hole on Sunday doused the Denver native’s chances.
Two shots back of the leaders at the time, Clark had just 133 yards to the pin on the par-4 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. But, according to NBC, he opted for a “chippy” low 9-iron that ended up not clearing the small rock wall short of the green, instead splashing into the lake. As was the case all day, Clark’s trusty Ping putter kept the damage to a minimum as he saved bogey from 6 feet. It would turn out to be his only bogey on Sunday, though he had two water balls in the final six holes.
After starting the final round seven out of the lead, the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer had moved within a shot of the top spot on a couple of occasions on Sunday. But he ended up finishing fifth, three strokes out of a Scottie Scheffler-Viktor Hovland playoff that will take place on Monday.
Not bad for a guy who was playing his fourth straight event on the PGA Tour, who won the U.S. Open last Sunday and who spent considerable time early in the week making the media rounds in New York City.
“Fumes, fumes,” he had said on Saturday evening when asked how he was dealing with so much going on in so little time. “Just one more day. When I was on (the Korn Ferry Tour), I played nine weeks in a row. I’ve had years where I’ve had to play six or seven in a row. So it’s four in a row (this time). Obviously it’s different when you are in contention most of the weeks.
“But I’m looking forward to next week. I’m not going to touch a club. So that’s all I’m fantasizing about right now.”
Despite the circumstances, Clark capped off the best stretch of five consecutive tournaments in his career. In the five Tour events he’s played since mid-May, he’s gone win (CJ Cup Byron Nelson), third place (the Memorial), 11th (RBC Canadian Open), win (U.S. Open) and fifth (the Travelers).
Over those five events and 20 rounds, the Valor Christian High School graduate has racked up a stellar 66.9 stroke average.
The Travelers finish on Sunday was delayed by about an hour and 20 minutes due to lightning in the area (there was also plenty of rain). Clark was on the 15th green at the time of the delay — having earlier hit a poor pitch amid the rain to 30 feet short of the pin — and he stood two behind Scheffler. With wetter, slower conditions after the restart, Clark left his birdie attempt 9 feet short on 15. But it confidently knocked that in for par.
He hit a solid tee shot on the par-3 16th, but it spun back into the rough that sits between the lake and the green, getting up and down for par. Then came the water-ball bogey on 17, where he had been hoping for a birdie-birdie finish to catch the leaders.
Despite getting in contention, Clark struggled in the early going on Sunday with his ball-striking, not hitting any one of the first six greens in regulation — though he was just off the edge in one case.
But as has been the case for three months — and particularly since mid-May — Clark’s Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset model was the main reason for his very strong finish. He led the tournament in strokes gained putting overall this week — gaining 8.712 shots on the field with the flagstick — and he sank 105 feet on putts during round 4.
Unlike last week at the U.S. Open, where the New York crowd heckled Clark at times and treated him coldly in general, the Colorado native received a fair amount of support in Connecticut.
“Everyone has been polar opposite of last week,” he said on Saturday. “Everyone has been so nice. They’re rooting for me, cheering for me, genuinely pulling for me.
“That’s probably been the nicest thing is just the reprieve or the difference between last week.”
Clark had been trying to become the first player since Ernie Els in 1997 to win the week after claiming a U.S. Open title. Els did so at the Buick Classic 29 years ago.
Sunday marked the 17th top-5 finish of Clark’s PGA Tour career. That including five victories, including two at the U.S. Open. Sunday’s showing was worth $760,000, moving his career earnings on that circuit to almost $39.2 million.
It’s important to note that Clark’s five consecutive top-11 finishes on the PGA Tour came immediately after he had posted just two top-10 showings in official PGA Tour events in the previous 20 months.
Meanwhile, fellow Denver native and PGA Tour veteran Mark Hubbard played in his first Tour event this month, finishing 70th at the Travelers. Hubbard was hospitalized after missing the cut at the Memorial in late May. His brother, Nathan, posted on X this week that Mark experienced Cardiomyopathy, a disease that affects the heart muscle.
After withdrawing from U.S. Open final qualifying and the RBC Canadian Open, Hubbard returned to PGA Tour tournament action at the Travelers, where he posted rounds of 69-71-72-70 for a 2-over-par total. He’s currently in the field for next week’s John Deere Classic.
For all the scores from the Travelers, CLICK HERE.
— Another Top-5 Showing for Anna Zanusso: Former University of Denver golfer Anna Zanusso continued her recent strong play on the Ladies European Tour as the Italian finished solo fourth on Sunday at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open.
It marked Zanusso’s third top-4 showing on the LET since the beginning of May as she’s also posted a third and another fourth.
In the Czech Republic, Zanusso carded rounds of 68-66-65 for a 17-under-par total, finishing one stroke out of a three-way playoff that was won by Finland’s Noora Komulainen. Zanusso played her final 17 holes in 8 under as she carded an eagle on No. 7.
Zanusso earned 15,750 euros ($17,933). She moved up to 20th place on the 2026 LET money list with 84,929 euros ($96,699).
For all the scores from the Czech Republic, CLICK HERE.
About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com