Why Denver’s Wyndham Clark split with longtime caddie John Ellis | Golf Insider
Denver native Wyndham Clark has made a change.
The 2023 U.S. Open champion and his longtime caddie, John Ellis, have decided to split after eight years working together. The Valspar Championship last week was Clark’s first tournament with new caddie Dave Pelekoudas on the bag.
Clark missed the cut at the event and is set to be in the field at this week’s Houston Open.
“We had a good run,” Clark told GolfWeek after his first round at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Florida. “We both just felt like it was time to move on and we wanted to choose our friendship over the job. It’s been kind of a tough last year of golf and we both mutually were like, all right, let’s just take a little break and reassess maybe later.”
Clark’s and Ellis’ relationship began in 2016 during their time at the University of Oregon. Ellis was an assistant coach to Casey Martin when Clark won the 2017 Golfweek’s Collegiate Player of the Year award. Ellis was a good golfer in his own right, but his career fizzled before joining the Ducks.
The two came together again when Clark was struggling on the Korn Ferry Tour. Ellis helped Clark get back on the track and Clark eventually earned his PGA Tour card, where Ellis became Clark’s full-time caddie.
In 2023, Clark’s career took off as he won the Wells Fargo Championship and the U.S. Open. He also won the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which included a 60 in the third round with Ellis by his side.
Clark got as high as No. 3 in the world and was part of Ryder Cup and President’s Cup teams but has dropped to No. 67 after a rough stretch the last couple of seasons.
Ellis was also a huge part of Clark’s mental approach to the game, but last season saw Clark’s anger come out again at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship.
“When things aren’t going great and I care more about, you know, Wyndham and my friendship, you know, we’re friends before business, and things just weren’t right,” Ellis said on Sirius XM’s Gravy & The Sleeze Show. “Something had to give and it felt like it was just time, maybe, you know, a different voice for both of us would help.”
Ellis was a major factor in Clark working with mental coach Julie Elion, who has helped Clark work through some issues related to the death of his mother who battled breast cancer. Their relationship was detailed in Netflix’s “Full Swing.”
Clark said he and Ellis discussed splitting before this, but the final decision happened after the final round of The Players Championship, where Clark finished in a tie for 42nd.
“We both agreed that a little change up could be the difference for me to get back to playing some good golf,” Clark said.
Ellis has dispelled any rumors of the split not being amicable. Golfers and caddies splitting up is a common occurrence in golf.
“There’s no hatred for Wyndham and I,” Ellis said in the radio interview. “We are still friends. We texted yesterday; it’s all good. It’s part of the business and I’m going to still root for him and surely he will root for me, whatever I do after this.”
For now, Clark is set to have Pelekoudas, otherwise known as “Big Wave Dave,” on the bag for the next couple of weeks.
“As of right now, I’m taking one week at a time, giving Big Wave a two-week trial. He’s a good friend and I know he’s a good caddie. I said I’ll give him two weeks for sure and then reassess after that,” Clark said.
And will there be any chance of a Clark-Ellis reunion in the future?
“I don’t know, but you never know,” Clark said.
2027 Palmer Cup coming to Cherry Hills
After 18 years, the Arnold Palmer Cup is coming back to Colorado.
Earlier this month, it was announced the Ryder Cup-style college match play tournament will be at Cherry Hills Country Club in 2027.
Cherry Hills hosted the event in 2009. Arnold Palmer is a big part of the club’s history. He famously rallied to win the 1960 U.S. Open.
The competition between college players from the United States and from outside the country includes male and female golfers. The tournament is scheduled June 7-13, 2027.
“It’s really a special thing and I think we’ll be able to highlight that event more and more this next year at Tralee (Ireland) and then 2027 we’re going to Cherry Hills, so we’re really going to start hosting that event in some really meaningful, special, connected places to my grandfather and the history of him and the history of the game of golf,” Sam Saunders, who is Palmer’s grandson, said during a press conference at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “So it’s really an event that is definitely on the up.”
What they’re saying
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