U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark injures back at gym

U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark hurt his back at the gym earlier this week, placing the star under an injury cloud ahead of the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

Clark, who finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship in his last two starts, suffered the ailment while working out in Scottsdale on Monday.

The 30-year-old remains hopeful he will be able to take his place at Memorial Park Golf Course this week where he is the +1200 second favorite on the betting boards behind Scheffler (+275). The scare comes just a few weeks from his expected Masters debut where he is +2500 to don a green jacket.

“I was working out," Clark said at his pre-tournament press conference in Houston. "Body's been really healthy and I just got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and (my) back went. It's not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn.

“Just kind of like a muscle. Well, I threw it out. I was in pretty bad shape yesterday, but fortunately, I have a great team that has gotten me to be able to swing and hit. So, we flew in early yesterday morning. I was only really able to chip and putt, then I did a bunch of rehab and I was able to hit balls today. So just in a short time I've improved a ton and I think I'll be ready for tomorrow.”

Clark has been in career-best form, winning his first three PGA TOUR events in the last 11 months including the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club last June and the Signature Event AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am this season.

He fell agonizingly short of a playoff at TPC Sawgrass recently when his birdie try on the 72nd hole fell halfway into the hole before lipping out in dramatic fashion, handing Scheffler the win.

Clark considered withdrawing from the field in Houston but was inspired by the sick children this week’s major sponsor supports.

“I wanted to give it my best effort," Clark added. "I had a dinner last night that I wanted to be a part of and I knew I was playing with kids today that were battling with heart transplants and cancer, so I wanted to make sure I could be here for that.

“I'm going to give it my best effort tomorrow and hopefully I can play and compete. If not, I've got to get ready for tournaments to come after this. I've been playing some good golf coming off of two second places. If you take Scottie Scheffler out of the field, I might have two wins. So, I've played really good and I feel good about my game.”