Wyndham Clark dishes on why he rejected LIV payday: ‘I chose my legacy over LIV’

Wyndham Clark’s decision to stay with the PGA Tour and reject an enormous payday from LIV bore quick fruit with his victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and $3.6 million deposited into his bank account.

Clark confirmed rumors that he had met with LIV officials and “did his due diligence,” speaking with representatives from both sides.

“ On Sunday, during a virtual press conference after the AT&T was shortened to 54 holes and he was declared the champion, he expressed his curiosity about what they could contribute. He ultimately decided not to attend LIV because he believed he still had a lot to achieve on the PGA Tour. He desired to pursue records and improve his world ranking in order to become one of the top players, or possibly the top player, in the world. Since he had always envisioned winning PGA Tour events, he prioritized his legacy over going to LIV. That was the decisive factor for him.

Clark, 30, won the U.S. Open in June, which makes him eligible for that major for the next 10 years and the other three majors for the next five. Like major winners Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau before him, Clark didn’t have to worry about his world ranking falling outside of the cut off for an automatic exemption into the majors.

He was rumored to be in line to join Rahm’s new team for this season and give LIV three of the four reigning major winners.

“I felt like if I was going to make a life-changing decision, I wanted to make sure I did all the right things and call the right people, get the right information, understand what both tours are doing, what I should do, et cetera,” he explained.

He credited player directors Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth on the PGA Tour policy board with helping him come to the conclusion that the Tour was the right place for him – at least for the time being.

“And Tiger Woods, sorry, and Tiger Woods, please put that in there,” Clark said of the oversight while failing to mention player directors Webb Simpson and Peter Malnati. “They put so much effort in making sure that the PGA Tour is going to make the right moves to continue to try to be the best tour.

“And they also really gave me some great advice and some counsel. I didn’t want them to sway me in a certain way, but I definitely wanted their counsel and I just wanted to honor them and the amount of time and work and effort they have put into this agreement now with SSG (Strategic Sports Group) and where the Tour is going.”

Clark appeared to keep the door slightly open, implying that his dedication to the Tour might alter down the line. He wouldn’t be the initial professional to switch loyalties after expressing their allegiance to the Tour.

“I am uncertain about what the future may bring for my career and the decisions made by the PGA Tour and LIV. However, for this particular season, I am fully committed to the PGA Tour and have a strong desire to reach the highest possible ranking in the world.”

Clark, who achieved his highest career ranking of 10th place in the AT&T tournament and subsequently rose to 6th place with his victory on the Monterey Peninsula, has made an impressive beginning.