Wyndham Clark sat down for his Tour Championship press conference Tuesday at East Lake Golf Club expecting the usual questions: his form, his FedExCup position, his plans for the week ahead. Instead, a simple question about his offseason plans turned into golf’s biggest relationship storyline of the year.
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“I’m going to be in Cabo next week. That’s my happy place. So I’ll be down there having fun,” he said in the press. “Presidents Cup, I’m playing a tournament in Japan, hopefully get engaged, and then going to South Africa for a tournament as well.”
After keeping his romance fairly low-key for months, Clark may have accidentally given fans a glimpse of what could be his biggest news off the course. When a reporter followed up, asking directly what he meant by “hopefully,” Clark didn’t dodge it. He kept his answer short and simple: “Hopefully she says yes.” Five words, and a press conference about wedge play and playoff scheduling suddenly had everyone talking about something else entirely.
Clark was talking about his girlfriend Emily Tanner, the Michigan State graduate and model and social media entrepreneur he introduced to golf fans at Augusta. And honestly, their relationship seems to have moved pretty quickly.
His BMW Championship win at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis was a huge moment, especially with Rory McIlroy pushing him all the way. Clark started the final round with a five-shot lead, but McIlroy fought back and made things very interesting. Just when it looked like Clark might let it slip, he finished strong with birdies on the 16th, 17th, and 18th. He closed with a 17-under total and won by three shots.
After everything that happened at Bellerive, it almost feels like Clark is having one of those years where everything is falling into place, both on and off the course.
Tanner was by Clark’s side at the Masters Par 3 Contest in April, even serving as his caddie. Clark called her his “good luck charm” at the time, giving fans their first real glimpse of the relationship. Just two months later, she was back in the crowd at Shinnecock Hills, watching Clark celebrate his second U.S. Open title.
From a “good luck charm” at Augusta to a possible engagement just months later, this relationship has certainly given fans something to watch.
The relationship took another big step just days before Clark won the BMW Championship. Tanner posted an Instagram video revealing that she was leaving Los Angeles and moving in with Clark in Scottsdale, Arizona. She even admitted that she could hardly believe she was saying it out loud. She was leaving behind the life she had built in California to start a new chapter with Clark.
And Clark has made it pretty clear how much she means to him. During BMW Championship week, he told reporters that having Tanner around helps him stay in the moment. She takes his mind off the pressure and lets him relax and enjoy their time together instead of getting stuck in his own head.
Put all of that together with his sudden “get engaged” comment, and it is hard not to wonder if Clark already has something much bigger planned.
This feels like more than just another golf relationship story. Clark and Tanner’s romance has played out in front of fans, one Instagram post and one big moment at a time. It started with that Par 3 Contest photo, then came the move to Scottsdale, and now Clark has dropped a surprise engagement hint during a press conference.
Fans have basically watched their relationship grow alongside some of the biggest moments of Clark’s career. And now, they have another reason to keep watching.
Wyndham Clark only said he “hopefully” wants to get engaged, so there is no date or proposal confirmed yet. But considering the two have moved in together, supported each other at major tournaments, and taken their relationship to the next level in just a few months, an engagement would not exactly come out of nowhere.
Now, there is just one thing left to find out: will she say yes?