Wyndham Clark Finally Gets His Win, Golf Reporter Wastes His Time Trading Jabs With Me, Get Used To Seeing Adrian Meronk, The First 'Bad' Elevated Event
It was great to see Wyndham Clark finally earn his first win on the PGA Tour, but the Wells Fargo Championship turned into the first bad elevated event of the year thanks to his lights-out play and superstars not bothering to show up.
On the other side of the globe, Adrian Meronk picked up another win on the DP World Tour and looks like a lock to make the European Ryder Cup team, which is not only great for the Euros but golf fans in general.
The golf Twitter streets are always hot and I myself got caught in the fray this weekend for questioning the system and defending Sergio Garcia. To the surprise of no one, a reporter made it personal when he couldn't defend his own stance in the argument.
We've got a lot to get to in this week's edition of Par Talk, so let's get after it.
Golf Reporter Jamie Weir Lets His Bias Show, Is The Reason People Hate Reporters
Before we get into actual golf news, there is something much more important that needs to be addressed: my Twitter spat with a Sky Sports reporter.
To set the scene here, Sergio Garcia made headlines last week when the DP World Tour publicly threatened the Spaniard as he continues to refuse to pay a $125,000 fine. The other 16 DP World Tour players who made the jump to LIV Golf already paid the fine, upheld by a 'sports resolution panel,' but Garcia continues to hold out.
I'm on Team Sergio in this situation and broke down the reasons why in a column I encourage you to read here.
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Jamie Weir, who claims to be a capital J journalist who should therefore be unbiased, shared a lengthy compilation video of Garcia's worst moments while sarcastically explaining how he can't believe he's the lone LIV golfer yet to pay the fine.
Garcia was a clouded version of an independent contractor who has zero ties to the DP World Tour anymore which made me question why exactly he'd rush to pay a large fine to his former non-employer.
This set off a firestorm with Weir, who thinks Garcia should pay the fine because it's the decent and honorable thing to do. He even admitted that the DP World Tour wasn't ever Garcia's employer, yet he should write them a check anyway.
I then presented Weir with what I think is a completely accurate hypothetical situation, but he thinks it's nonsensical because his brain is just that big.
After asking Weir to share his own hypothetical he deployed the strategy of making the conversation personal by questioning my ability as a sports writer. Typical behavior from someone who believes they're holier than thou behind their keyboard.
Weir then hit me with such a fatal shot that I'm surprised I've been able to get out of bed and function the past few days. For those curious, he doesn't just claim to be a reporter, he is a reporter.
I'm not a reporter nor do I claim to be one. What would even be the point of becoming one at this rate seeing as how Weir sits on the throne?
Weir is legitimately good at his job and is a well-respected guy in the golf world, especially on the other side of the pond. At the end of the day, our exchange was incredibly tame compared to the non-stop garbage that floods Twitter.
But a word to the wise, avoid asking Weir to explain his stance on certain topics on Twitter unless you want to get into a pointless argument where he takes personal shots.
Wyndham Clark Finally Finds The Winner's Circle
My Twitter spat with Weir wasn't the only thing to happen in the golf world this past week believe it or not.
Wyndham Clark earned his first win on the PGA Tour after blitzing the field at Quail Hollow.
Clark finding the winner's circle felt like a matter of when, not if, but winning on the PGA Tour is incredibly difficult. Even as he began the final round with a two-shot lead it felt like he could squander it away in a hurry, which he did Sunday with a bogey on the first hole.
Clark was hit in the mouth with adversity out of the gates and found himself tied with seven-time winner Xander Schauffele, but to his credit, he answered the call in stellar fashion.
While he turned at even par on his round, Clark didn't let the moment nor the life-changing paycheck take up too much real estate in his mind. The 29-year-old played his final nine holes three-under par and walked off the 72nd green with a convincing four-shot win on a major championship golf course.
Clark was understandably emotional after securing the win. He had been so close to picking up a W this season with three top-six finishes since March and it finally came Sunday.
Not Every Elevated Event Can Be Great
The PGA Tour wasn't going to bat .1000 with its new-look elevated events this season and the first dud of the year just so happened to be the Wells Fargo Championship.
Wyndham Clark having a short battle with Xander Schauffele on Sunday isn't exactly going to move the needle, but it's not Clark's fault he was the best golfer on the planet last week. Nor is it his fault that Rory McIlroy was a non-factor, Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa both missed the cut, and Max Homa and Justin Thomas couldn't make a push on the weekend.
Believe it or not, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler can't battle it out in every elevated event. It was literally impossible for that to happen at the Wells Fargo as both players skipped the event, but the point stands, not every elevated event is going to actually be elevated.
Big Man Adrian Meronk Has Sights Set On The Ryder Cup
The casual golf fan may not recognize the name Adrian Meronk, but they better get used to seeing it.
The 6-foot-6 Pole picked up his second DP World Tour win since late December at this week's Italian Open and now finds himself very much in the thick of qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team.
Meronk has appeared in just three major championships with his best finish being T-42 in the 2022 Open, but he's really put the pieces together on the DPWT.
He jumped 11 spots in the Euro Ryder Cup team standings after his win in Italy and now sits in the No. 5 spot. While there is plenty of golf to be played until the Ryder Cup in September, Meronk seems to be a shoo-in to make the squad whether it's on points or a captain's pick.
What's On Tap
The PGA Tour heads to Texas for the AT&T Byron Nelson this week for what will be a tune-up for most with the PGA Championship taking place the following week. LIV Golf returns to action after a week off with a States-side event in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Talor Gooch is looking to win his third-straight event and carry outrageous momentum into the PGA Championship.
Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris