Casual golf fans may not have been familiar with the name Wyndham Clark before the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club earlier this month. But after defeating the likes of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith to claim his first major, and with Kentucky sports betting coming to the Bluegrass State later this year, it's time to familiarize yourself with Clark and find out whether he's worth more wagers down the line.
Clark this month became just the latest player whose second career PGA Tour win came at a major, joining the likes of stars like Brooks Koepka, as well as other less-heralded players like Todd Hamilton.
With that unique characteristic, BetKentucky.com took a dive into how many golfers have won a major as their second PGA Tour win, and how their careers panned out after that. While Koepka obviously went on to stardom, it's not always a mark of a future Golf Hall of Famer.
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Golfers Whose 2nd PGAT Win Was A Major
*indicates player had previously won on the DP World Tour.
Win On European Tour A Separator For Success
As you can see in the chart above, player's whose second win on the PGA Tour was a major have a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to future success. One caveat that stands out? Among those on this list, those who also had a win on the European Tour, now known as the DP World Tour, have had much better long-term success. And that doesn't bode entirely well for Clark and his odds on future Kentucky sportsbook apps.
Koepka is easily the best historical player on this list, having now collected 5 major titles in just the last 7 years. But fans often forget he was not the most-heralded player in his youth like a Jordan Spieth. Instead, Koepka found himself grinding away in Europe before he earned his way onto the PGA Tour. That experience was highlighted by a 2014 win at the Turkish Airlines Open, which came a year before his maiden PGA Tour win at the Waste Management Open.
Koepka has since gone on to have 9 total PGA Tour wins including the majors, and has won twice on LIV since joining the league last summer.
Like Koepka, Shane Lowry and Francesco Molinari each won a major as their second PGAT titles, though both were close to perennial winners in Europe beforehand. Lowry had 4 DP World Tour titles to his name when he won the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, while Molinari had 5 before his 2018 win at Carnoustie.
Both have played major roles for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup, and represent strong, if not Hall of Fame, careers for Clark to attempt to follow.
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The Other Side of the Coin
The trouble for Clark futures appear to be his lack of a win across the pond, as his American counterparts in Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover and Todd Hamilton did not do much winning of any kind after their major victories.
Bradley, who won the 2011 PGA, has had by far the best career of the three, even winning last week at the Travelers Championship. But he also suffered through an over-6-year-winless streak soon after his slam, and now sits at 6 wins total at age 37. Nothing to sneeze at, but not exactly a Hall of Fame track.
The drop-off was worse for Glover and especially Hamilton. Glover after his 2009 US Open has only won twice, and while he gets points for longevity (the wins came in 2011 and 2021), he has been more journeyman than perennial star. In Hamilton's case, he never won again following his shocking 2004 Open Championship title.
So the good news for Clark is that his name is forever itched in golf history, whether he goes on to be the next Koepka ... or Hamilton.
The bad news is that of those major winners who did not have a previous win in Europe, they have only tallied 6 more career wins.
