Rory McIlroy and Wyndham Clark have been drawn together for the opening round of the BMW Championship, nearly a year on from their Ryder Cup rivalry in Rome
Rory McIlroy will tee off with Wyndham Clark on Thursday (
Image: Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy will be reunited with Wyndham Clark at the BMW Championship – who previously claimed he’s better than him.
They’ve been drawn together for the opening round of the second FedEx Cup play-off event. There may be some awkward tension at the first, given comments made by then-US Open champion Clark in the build-up to last year’s Ryder Cup.
He was asked about a potential match-up in Rome with McIlroy during a Golf Channel interview. Clark made a bold statement about the Northern Irishman that grabbed the headlines.
While he expressed “I have the utmost respect for Rory”, it was his later comment – “I like to think I am better than him” – that sparked debate. He later clarified his remarks, insisting they were a reflection of his confidence rather than disrespect.
Xander Schauffele has extra motivation in £20m Scottie Scheffler battle
Rory McIlroy lines up reunion with Tyrrell Hatton amid LIV Golf differences
Clark elaborated: “I want everyone to know, I think it was taken out of context. If you listen to the whole interview, I praised Rory and said how much I respect him and how good I think he is and how he’s one of the best players in the last 20 years.
“And what I said was I think I’m better than him when I’m playing good – if I don’t think I’m better than every player out here, then what am I doing? If I’m trying to be the best player in the world, which is what I’m trying to be, I’ve got to believe that.
“Right now, maybe I’m not. He’s had a way better career than me, that’s obvious. But I also have to have that self-belief that I can beat anyone out here.”
Clark caught the attention with his “better than McIlroy” claim ( AFP via Getty Images)
On the course, Clark managed to secure a victory over McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick alongside Patrick Cantlay in Saturday’s foursomes at the Ryder Cup. However, he was defeated in his Sunday singles match by Rob MacIntyre, contributing to Team USA’s overall loss by five points.
McIlroy will have to put aside any potential friction with him following a disappointing performance at the St. Jude Championship, where he ended up 68th out of 70 players. That result caused him to drop to fifth place in the FedEx Cup standings.
After finishing T7 at TPC Southwind, Clark is now just one spot behind McIlroy, sitting in sixth place. The top 30 players after the upcoming four days at Castle Pines Golf Club will advance to the Tour Championship finale, battling it out for the top $25m (£19m) prize.
