Wyndham Clark Gives The Green Light To Punch Him In The Face If He Lets Major Champion Status Change Him

The Open at Royal Liverpool will be Wyndham Clark's first major championship since he became a major winner four weeks ago after finding the winner's circle at the U.S. Open. While his resume, life, and bank account have certainly changed between then and now, he's determined to not let it change him as a person.

He's so set on staying true to his pre-major-champion self, in fact, that he jokingly opened the door for someone to punch him in the face if he changes.

“If it does, I hope someone punches me in the face and says, get back to who you were,” Clark said. “I think it fuels my confidence and belief in myself. But as a person I don't think, I hope I don't change.”

It's understandable for Clark to want to remain who he is and stay grounded given that he not only won the U.S. Open earlier in the year but the Wells Fargo Championship as well, an elevated event.

On the topic of change, there is no doubt that Clark's maiden win on Tour at the Wells Fargo in May certainly changed him. At the very least, it gave him the self-belief that he could go out and not only compete with the best players in the world but beat them.

Clark won the Wells Fargo Championship by four shots with the likes of Xander Schauffele, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, and Adam Scott all finishing in the Top Five that week.

The group he held off at the U.S. Open was even more impressive with Rory McIlroy finishing second just one shot back and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finishing solo third three shots back.

Ironically, while Clark isn't seeking any bit of change, change is the exact word you would use to describe his 2023.

Clark made his Open debut last year ranked 216th in the world. One year later he's a major champion and the No. 10 player in the game.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.