GOLF: Wyndham Clark shoots 60, wins CJ Cup Byron Nelson going away

Wyndham Clark stormed to victory on Sunday after seizing the lead, closing with a record-tying performance to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson by three strokes in McKinney, Texas.

Clark fired an 11-under-par 60 in the final round at TPC Craig Ranch, matching the course record and finishing at 30-under 254 across four rounds. The win marked one shot shy of the tournament’s all-time scoring record set by Scottie Scheffler the previous year.

“Any time you win and any time you do it in the fashion I did is very special,” Clark said.

South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, who led after the second and third rounds, finished runner-up at 27 under, while Scheffler placed third at 25 under. Both posted final-round 65s but were unable to catch Clark’s blistering pace.

Clark’s victory marked his fourth PGA Tour title and his first since the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He credited his strong putting early in the week for setting the tone.

“After the first round, I felt really good on the greens, and I said, ‘OK, this could be a really fun, special week,’” Clark said.

His bogey-free final round featured an eagle on the par-5 12th hole, where he drained a 15½-foot putt, along with birdies on four of his final five holes. Clark surged past Kim with the eagle and maintained control down the stretch.

“I just knew I had to keep birdieing because I knew Si Woo was probably going to do the same thing, or even Scottie,” he said.

Scheffler, the hometown favorite and World No. 1, was unable to mount a decisive challenge despite steady scoring. He finished three under on both the front and back nine but acknowledged the difficulty of the scoring conditions.

“A golf course like this, you’ve got to make a ton of birdies,” Scheffler said. “I hit it decent to good and holed a few putts, but not enough to win.”

Kim, seeking his fifth PGA Tour title and first since the 2023 Sony Open, recorded seven birdies and a bogey in the final round before finishing with four straight pars. He said competing in contention against elite players added valuable experience.

Jackson Suber finished fourth at 23 under after a 63, while Keith Mitchell took fifth at 22 under. Tony Finau, Zach Bauchou, and Tom Hoge tied for sixth at 20 under.

Among the notable stories of the week, 19-year-old Blades Brown impressed with a tie for 14th at 18 under, earning PGA Tour special temporary membership after just 16 career starts, including seven this season.

“I know my route to the PGA Tour is a very uncommon route,” Brown said. He added that he plans to continue his progression through upcoming events on the Korn Ferry Tour. -Field Level Media/Reuters