Wyndham Clark liked his chances despite packing his first round eight shots behind the leader. Clark said, “You know we’ve got 54 holes [left]. In LIV Golf, they only play 54, so I like my chances.” The comments were instantly read as a not-so-subtle shot at the 18-hole leader, Bryson DeChambeau, who is in his third season at LIV Golf. But there appears to be a more intriguing reason behind this.

A LIV Golf insider hints Clark might have an axe to grind with PIF officials. It’s not a secret that an offer from the Saudi-backed side was on his table. A negotiation gone awry might be behind his series of digs at the Saudi-backed side. 

Wyndham Clark wanted $100M?

Firstly, the three-time PGA Tour winner offered his reasons for staying on the PGA Tour. Not once, not twice, but several times. Clark was rumored to follow in Jon Rahm’s footsteps in December. Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, and Patrick Cantlay, all PGA Tour Policy Board members, convinced him otherwise. Clark admitted the rumors were true, though. 

“I wanted to see what they could bring to the table. I ultimately declined going to LIV because I felt like I still had a lot of things left in the tank on the PGA Tour and I wanted to chase records, I wanted to chase world ranking… So I ultimately, I chose my legacy over LIV. … that’s really what it came down to.”

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However, there appears to be a wholly different side to the story. Andrew Kirby, a LIV Golf insider, revealed that the reason was, in fact, money. The 30-year-old wanted $100 million in a contract, which the PIF officials rejected. Notably, Bryson DeChambeau’s initial LIV contract was put at $125 million. 

Interestingly, since January, Wyndham Clark has minced no words in slamming the Greg Norman-fronted side, even though the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are walking briskly towards a permanent solution to golf’s civil war. And not DeChambeau, but Joaquin Niemann and Martin Kaymer‘s Cleeks GC became the unlikely victims. 

Clark & LIV has a thorny history

Notably, a month before the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Clark emphasized his reason for ditching LIV was its unpopular format. “I think the difference between, let’s say, LIV teams and a Ryder Cup team or Presidents Cup team is just simply the fact that you’re representing your country versus just playing for… (a LIV Golf team)… All the alumni are super into it (college golf), [they are] invested, and no one’s really invested in the Cleeks quite yet,” said the PGA Tour pro.

A month later, Wyndham Clark took a subtle dig at Joaquin Niemann after setting a Pebble Beach scoring record of 60. The Scottsdale resident said, “It just means more at Pebble Beach. Even if I had shot 59 somewhere, I don’t think it would compare to shooting a score like this at one of the most historic golf courses in the world.” 

Niemann almost touched Bryson DeChambeau’s LIV record of 58 in Mayakoba after posting a spellbinding 59. Notably, many questioned Clark’s feat as preferred lies were in effect due to horrendous weather. Clark was also at the center of a ‘cheating’ controversy at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Fans lambasted him for his ‘myopic’ view of the Masters as well.