CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA | Xander Schauffele’s moment had arrived mid-afternoon Sunday as a warm breeze blew across the Quail Hollow Club.
Schauffele, the fifth-ranked player in the world, had turned the two-stroke deficit he faced starting the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship, into a one-stroke lead over Wyndham Clark through seven holes.
Career achievement tilted heavily toward Schauffele, a seven-time PGA Tour winner, while Clark was chasing his first career victory.
Throw in the designated-tournament factor – star-stacked, big-money events designed to bring out the best of the best – and Schauffele seemed to be on the verge of joining Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, among others, as a winner in an elevated event this year.
Then it didn’t happen.
While Clark commandeered the lead around the turn, Schauffele was left to wonder how it slipped away almost suddenly.
He led by one on the eighth green, then found himself walking to the 12th tee two behind Clark. The chase was on, only it wasn’t.
“I didn’t do what I needed to do at important times,” Schauffele said. “When you’re trying to win on Sunday, you need to put the screws down and put some pressure on the guys leading, and I didn’t do that.”
Early in the final round, it had already begun to feel like a two-man battle between Schauffele and Clark. While Adam Scott, Tyrrell Hatton, Harris English and others lined up behind them, they were too far behind to push seriously.
With Clark making four birdies in the first six holes of the closing nine, Schaueffele found himself almost powerless.
Schauffele played the weekend in 8-under par, but Clark blitzed him by three strokes in their Saturday and Sunday rounds together en route to a 19-under 265 total and four-stroke victory. Clark earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse.
Clark, Michael Kim and Denny McCarthy qualified for the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool via the R&A’s Open Qualifying Series.
“A bit of a buzz saw, to be honest,” Schauffele said of Clark’s performance. “I probably had to shoot 7-under today again, ballpark, to tie him maybe or win by one.
“I think if I could have just put a little bit of pressure down like through that mid part where I started leaking oil, it probably would have looked a little bit different. I'm playing really solid and just had a flat Sunday unfortunately.”
Ron Green Jr.