Rory McIlroy’s golf rival and fellow major winner Wyndham Clark has had his dreams of playing in The Masters next month put into question due to a serious injury.
The current US Open champion has shared that he’s struggling with a concerning back problem ahead of the Houston Open at Memorial Park on Thursday. This week, the 30 year old could only practice his chipping and putting.
in February, which was delayed due to rain. He then won second place twice, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players.
The late-bloomer caused a huge stir in golf last year when he appeared to call out McIlroy after joining the elite bracket of major winners, by expressing his opinion that he was better than the Northern Irishman during an interview with Golf Channel.
After rising to fourth in the Official World Golf Ranking, the three-time PGA Tour winner is ready for his first appearance at The Masters at Augusta National next month.
Most bookmakers have placed Clark at 25/1 for the year’s first major, placing him 10th in the betting. However, they will be closely watching his performance at the Memorial Park Golf Course in Texas this week to see how his body copes over four games.
Despite his back issue, Clark stays hopeful after bringing in his medical team. But fans are likely worried that he won’t be at his best when The Masters starts in just two weeks.
“I threw [my back] out,” Clark admitted on Wednesday. “I was in pretty bad shape yesterday, but happily, I have a fantastic team that has helped me to be able to swing and hit.