Q. First things first, did the fan at the Canadian Open get his Jack Hughes jersey back?
WYNDHAM CLARK: As far as I know. We actually didn't exchange numbers, but I got his address and signed it and sent it to him. Hopefully he got it back.
Q. You said that President Trump called you after your first U.S. Open win. Is that true? What was that call like?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, it was. It was honestly one of the coolest calls of my life. Regardless of what people think about any president at the given time, to have the most powerful man in the world to call you after you win something is pretty amazing.
He was so complimentary, just saying how good I played. Honestly, it was amazing. He knew every shot. He was like this up-and-down on this hole, this up-and-down on this hole was amazing. He really said a bunch of nice things. That was definitely one of the coolest calls of my life.
Q. He's expected to attend this week. What does it mean for this team, for you personally? Does it add any extra pressure?
WYNDHAM CLARK: No. Like I said, being an American and having the President of the United States coming to watch you play golf is something that as a kid you don't ever imagine or fathom happening.
I just think it's pretty amazing. He's our commander in chief, and it's going to be definitely really exciting on Sunday.
Q. I was wondering if you could describe the team atmosphere in one word.
WYNDHAM CLARK: Team atmosphere? One word, I mean, close. We are -- it's always funny in the media, they just talk about how our team isn't as close as Europe. We all grew up together. We're all really close.
There's constant chatter and bickering back and forth, in a good way. Yeah, our team is very close.
Q. Who's your favorite swing on the team?
WYNDHAM CLARK: I'm trying to think of everybody. Honestly, it's funny, I love watching Scottie hit. It's not what you would think, but I love watching Scottie.
Q. There were some interesting comments, your BMW after you won, hey, if I can't get love at the Presidents Cup, I'm going to move to Mexico. Are you feeling some of that good vibes here this week so far?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, I always like joking with the media. Yeah, it's been amazing. USA fans are the best, especially here in Chicago. It's been amazing, yeah. We're getting all love.
Q. I don't care about us, I care about you.
WYNDHAM CLARK: It's all love. Since New York, it's been all love.
(Laughter.)
Q. There was another comment you made about, "In all my six wins, I wasn't the favorite." Does that get old, or do you really care?
WYNDHAM CLARK: I think, if it happened throughout my career, yeah, it would maybe be a bummer because even though I'm maybe -- the media has made me out to be the villain, if you will, I don't feel like I'm that person. Eventually it would be nice if people were rooting for me and someone else was the underdog, if you will.
We'll see. Hopefully things are trending and changing in the right direction.
Q. I hope so too, but it should start this week.
WYNDHAM CLARK: I hope so.
Q. I'm wondering how nerve-racking is it to be at a team event and to have out of bounds on 1, 2, and 3 all on the left side?
WYNDHAM CLARK: They always talk about the 1st tee shot at Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, and it's already nerve-racking. Then you have out of bounds two yards off the fairway. In practice rounds, we haven't really thought about it because it's a practice round, but I'm sure come tomorrow you'll see it.
It makes it interesting. I actually love the design of it because this is normally their 5th hole on the golf course. Not many people remember the 5th hole of any golf course. It's kind of one of those holes that you just play. I'm not saying this course specifically, but in general.
For them to add out of bounds right there, now it becomes kind of an iconic hole. It's going to be fun the first few holes.
Q. Was that like a big target on the second shots too? Did that come into play pretty big on those as well?
WYNDHAM CLARK: With 1, not as much. It would have to be a bad shot. 2, it's right there. They tuck a pin left, I would be shocked if anyone hits it close just because you pull it 25 feet and you could be out of bounds. So I think that's pretty neat.
It's probably the least in play on 3. But yeah, any time we play and there's an out of bounds, you go the opposite direction. It will be an interesting start for sure.
Q. Being one of the more passionate players on the team, do you feel like it's your kind of role to bring the energy and enthusiasm and the fist pumps that the USA team might have been lacking over the last few years?
WYNDHAM CLARK: I think it helps. JT is probably our most passionate guy, especially during these events. Yeah, I think it helps. Any time you can bring the crowd and get them involved, you gain that momentum, and momentum is so big in golf.
This is now my third team event, and I just -- I really want to have a couple of those moments that are just iconic and really bring the team together and get the crowd going. Hopefully that happens this week.
Q. Kind of a different path. They're back in Chicago here, obviously it's not a regular PGA Tour stop. The Tour's talked about coming to more major markets with the new scheduling format. Do you notice a different when you're in a major market, whether it's -- not to say better or worse, but is it different? Do you enjoy it? And what do you think of that philosophy moving forward trying to add more of these major markets back?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, we play the BMW here it seems like every other year or every three years, and hands down it's the best fan attendance, and we're received the best. Chicago is, I think arguably, one of the top three states for golf. They're really knowledgeable fans. They're enthusiastic fans. They have great sports here.
Yeah, I think it's awesome. I hope Chicago is definitely one of the spots we play between --
Q. (Indiscernible) I know there's a balance, but just trying to get --
WYNDHAM CLARK: A hundred percent. I'm from Denver. We don't really have much west of Texas the majority of the year, right? We play the California swing, and we play in Scottsdale, then we really don't play anymore. Seattle is a great market. Denver is a great market, San Francisco. Then obviously middle of the country you've got Chicago.
Yeah, it would be awesome if we could at least tap into some of those.
Q. I played a golf tournament this weekend, and any time anyone had wine, they said crack open grape. It's become massive. Did you realize when you said that, it was going to become a staple in the golf lexicon?
WYNDHAM CLARK: I didn't. Some of my stuff is calculated, contrary to what you guys believe, but that one is not. That's what we call it at home. All my buddies, we call it grape, vino or grape. And it came out. Now every time I see somebody, they're like let's open some grape.
Q. You noticed it too?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, this week, practice rounds, I probably heard it 15 times, let's open up some grape this weekend. Yeah, it's fun.
Q. I mean, it was nonstop, crack open the grape.
WYNDHAM CLARK: Now I need a grape sponsorship (laughter).
Q. If you choose to be cremated, on what golf course would you want some of your ashes spread?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Great question. As much as I want to say Pebble, being one of my favorite places, growing up at Cherry Hills is really special to me. I'd want it to be right on the putting green where I practiced my whole life. There's a tree right there. That would be awesome to be right there.
Q. Think you could do it? Would they allow that?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Maybe. I think if I win a few more tournaments, maybe a couple more majors.
Q. Couple more Opens?
WYNDHAM CLARK: A couple more Opens, I think they might do it.
Q. Who's most likely to be late to the team bus this week?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Let's just start with Jackson. The first -- literally the first practice round we did, he was the last one to show up, and we gave him so much crap: Hey, you can't be showing up late as a rookie.
Q. Who's going to bring the most energy this week?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Most energy. That's kind of always JT and Xander. They're kind of -- they're always bringing the energy.
Q. Who's the most competitive?
WYNDHAM CLARK: I'm very competitive, but honestly you can't go wrong with Scottie. That guy's a killer.
Q. Best dressed?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Best dressed, Collin always looks good. He dresses really sleek. I feel like he gets his clothes fitted because he always looks perfect.
Q. Who's talking the most trash?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Honestly, that's kind of everybody. One person says something, and everyone jumps on you and vice versa. We're all talking trash. I'd say Xander, he's kind of the one always picking on guys and starting it.
Q. I have a follow-up. What question would have to be asked for Patrick Cantlay to be the answer?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Patrick Cantlay -- least emotion.
Q. What have you got coming up the rest of the year?
WYNDHAM CLARK: I play Japan and then Mexico Open in Vidanta. It's a good golf course. My girlfriend has actually some business down there, and she's never been to Puerto Vallarta.
Q. End of the year, a lot of guys take off.
WYNDHAM CLARK: Take off, yeah. I like to play like every four weeks. I won't touch a club for two weeks, and then I'll kind of get into it. It's nice to keep the game sharp.
I still have stuff I want to work on with my swing, so it's nice to go test it, if you're just home and you don't put it under the pressure.
Then playing South Africa, that's just more because you can go to South Africa. I've never been, and it's kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Q. A couple shots, just a couple shots you like to hit out here, just like specific moments on the course you enjoy.
WYNDHAM CLARK: Because of the golf course?
Q. Yeah, just the golf course. Visually and then like in the moment, what do you like to hit?
WYNDHAM CLARK: I really like -- let me go through them all.
The drivable 12 is really just a cool hole because it's basically feast or famine. You hit a good shot, you're more than likely going to have a chance to win the hole. Hit a bad shot, you lose the hole. That one's exciting.
Off the top of my head, I think like the 1st hole with just the stadium and the out of bounds on the left.
Q. The tee ball?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, the tee ball makes it tough, so hitting that fairway is a huge sigh of relief but also a huge confidence builder.
The par-3s finishing, the two over the water -- what is that, 13 and 16? Those are beast of holes and tough. So I like those ones.
Q. One other thing. Chicago grub, have you had time for Chicago food yet? Are you going to make time?
WYNDHAM CLARK: We've only branched out and gotten pizza. So we had Lou Malnati's and -- God, name another.
Q. Giordano's? Pequod's?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Lou Malnati's and Pequod's. Those are the two we've tried. We live in a bubble, so we don't get out much. But I have friends here, so I've tried the food. I love Chicago food. It's great.
Q. No mystery you make a ton of birdies. If you get put in four-ball, would you rather be with another birdie machine, or would you rather be with a guy that basically is a little bit more consistent in his game?
WYNDHAM CLARK: You know, it's funny, I could see it going both ways because you could both feed off each other where you're both making birdies. It's also nice to have someone that's Iron Byron, just hitting and freeing me up.
I think I'd probably choose the guy that is in play and constantly giving himself looks, maybe makes three to four, and then lets me just be pedal to the metal and try to make seven or eight.
Q. There's so much autonomy in pro golf, generally speaking, from your travel, your accommodations, your team, your routine, the whole thing. That change from now coming to team events, is it a nice relief, or is it kind of like, wait, I like to do things when I want to do things? How does that change for you?
WYNDHAM CLARK: I mean, it changes, but I feel like I'm adaptable. I like team sports. I played team sports growing up. I just think it's so much fun.
Yeah, I want this amount of time to do this, but you make the sacrifices for the team. Whatever's best for the team is what you want to do. There's never more fun in golf than doing what we do this week and at the Ryder Cup because it's something -- you know, it's something that's not really in golf. We all have a lot of fun. Normally we're trying to beat each other's heads in, and now we're good buddies trying to root each other on and for one goal, to win the cup.
Q. It seems like golfers do have this incredible ability where for this week you want to step on the throats of the other team, but shortly thereafter you may be paired up and playing a practice round with these guys and yakking it up. Is that an interesting dynamic to compartmentalize this severe level of competition and then friendship and sort of that balance?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, I know there's been some relationships severed over the years because of maybe some of the nastiness that goes on in competitive sports.
Yeah, it is funny. Gosh, we had pictures and kind of a gala last night, and we're talking with the International Team, and we're all friends with a lot of those guys. Once the bell goes off, yeah, we're not going to be talking to them much, but we're all friends. At the end of the day, come Monday, it goes back.
We'll still probably chirp them that hopefully we win or something like that, but at the end of the day, yeah, I'll be hanging with them, having a good time.
Q. Hi, Wyndham, I was just wondering how have you been filling your time hanging out since East Lake and the gap from here essentially? What have you been doing? Hobbies, stuff like that?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, right after East Lake, I went to Cabo with friends. There was a country music festival. That was a lot of fun. I was kind of waiting for that after the BMW, I really was kind of getting a little sick and tired of golf. It's the end of the season. So I was just looking forward to Mexico.
Then I've been home in Colorado enjoying the good weather there, played in a pro-member that Peyton puts on called the Smith-Cole at Cherry Hills. So that was a lot of fun. And now we're here.
Q. I would love to ask a question or two. Do you know who you're playing with?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah.
Q. Is he standing to your right?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Can't tell you.
Q. He just said he's playing with someone new who's very close to him in proximity.
WYNDHAM CLARK: We're all pretty close in proximity.
Q. Wow, you're a steel trap.
WYNDHAM CLARK: Not normally.
Q. I know. That's why I kind of expected you to tell us. Can you go back to Rome and explain what was the most surprising thing that maybe you couldn't have expected about that like first Ryder Cup team thing?
WYNDHAM CLARK: First off, the amount of stuff we do outside of golf was a little bit of a surprise. Then as far as like in --
Q. That was your first team event?
WYNDHAM CLARK: That was my first team event, yeah.
And outside of that, man, how much is momentum big in sports? When you're out by yourself, you kind of create your own momentum. Someone might be making birdies, but you just keep playing the golf course. In match play, you're playing against the other guy or the other two guys, and in Rome we really got out to a bad start, and the momentum just felt at an all-time low. It's hard to overcome. So that's a big thing.
This is my first time being in the U.S. playing a team event. This will be fun, at least having fans rooting for us and not against us.
Q. You kind of invoked a little bit up in Canada trying to get -- like do you foresee yourself being that way in terms of really trying to rile up the fans now that you're at home?
WYNDHAM CLARK: I mean, yeah, I'd like to. That was a friendly chirp that I did to the Canadians. I mentioned it to a couple of guys like Nick Taylor and Pendrith and brought it up, and they're like, "Man, you're not going to do that, are you?"
I said, "Hell, yeah, I am."
I would love to be one of the guys that gets the fans going, gets the team going, and hopefully get us a Cup.
Q. Did you ever have to sing karaoke as a rookie?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yes.
Q. Do you remember what you sang?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, I do. I don't know if they want me to divulge. I'm a little bummed because this year they didn't have to memorize it. The year I did it, it was the first year they ever did it. They said it was a lasting tradition that's been going on forever, and it was not.
I did a song that I thought I'd be singing in front of just the guys, the wives were there, and it was a little embarrassing.
Q. Wow, you're really not going to tell us?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Let's just say it's a Wheeler Walker Jr. song.
Q. I know you've been to Michigan a couple times this year. Have you had a chance to play any of the golf courses?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah. Obviously Detroit Golf Club. I played Oakland Hills, but I haven't played the redesign. This year outside of that, no, I have not, but in the past I've played some good golf courses in Michigan.
Q. Have you been up to Mackinac Island yet?
WYNDHAM CLARK: No, I haven't. I've only been in the Bloomfield Hills area and around Cass Lake.
Q. I grew up around there.
WYNDHAM CLARK: Birmingham, great area.
Q. Sorry if somebody asked you already, but are you still hopefully getting engaged, like you said at the Tour Championship?
WYNDHAM CLARK: It will happen.
Q. Was that a slip-up or kind of --
WYNDHAM CLARK: You know what's funny is when you asked me, they're like, what are you doing? That was what was on my mind because that's really all I'm focused on. I said it, and I was like, oh, boy.
She knew. We went and picked out rings and stuff, so she knows it's happening. It's not that big of a surprise, but now I've got to really try to disguise when I do it.
Q. Did you guys give Jackson some shit yesterday for his single photo?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, it was great. Our group text while he was up there was just going off.
It's been fun actually. That kid, he's going to be a world beater. He's really, really good, but he's also a good kid. As a rookie, you get a bunch of grief from the guys, and he's been taking it great, even chirping back. He's been a great addition to the team.
Q. Wyndham, would you like to see an international women's team?
WYNDHAM CLARK: Like so U.S. versus -- yeah, that would be great. Honestly, it probably should happen because the women's game is so international. Yeah, I think that would be fantastic. We have it, the Solheim Cup and the Ryder Cup, so we might as well do an international one.
Q. If I can get your reaction, I have the potential roster of what that would look like. Just give me your thought on that. That's the top 13.
WYNDHAM CLARK: Yeah, we'd have stress. I mean, it's basically 2 through 16. Yeah, that would be tough. Maybe we shouldn't do it because we'd probably lose.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports