From Clark to Kupcho, Colorado golfers make noise on pro tours | Golf Insider
There’s a phrase you will hear on golf courses throughout the country this weekend.
“Found it!”
Colorado native Wyndham Clark certainly found it.
The Valor Christian graduate has been playing his best golf since bursting on the scene in 2023 with wins at the Wells Fargo Championship and the U.S. Open. After a couple of down years, Clark has rebounded in 2026 with a win at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in late May and a third-place finish at The Memorial, a PGA Tour signature event, last weekend.
“Beginning of the year, there was a lot of unknowns,” Clark told reporters Sunday. “Just didn’t quite know where my game was at and I hadn’t done what I’ve been wanting to do on the course and so now, with winning and doing this, yeah, my confidence is definitely a lot higher.”
Clark, who is in the field at this week’s RBC Canadian Open and a trendy pick on the betting market to win, claimed the CJ Cup Byron Nelson with a 63 in the second round and a 60 in the final round. He is known for being able to go low, having won the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a 60 in the final round.
While the CJ Cup score was impressive, that course is a birdie fest every year. Clark was much more dialed in at The Memorial. Jack Nicklaus’ Ohio course is known for being difficult, and Clark had weekend scores of 68 and 67 to finish one shot out of a playoff won by J.T. Poston.
After the RBC Canadian Open, Clark begins preparation for the U.S. Open, a tournament where Clark held off Rory McIlroy in 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club. The win, combined with his win earlier in 2023, propelled Clark into a top player on the PGA Tour. This year’s U.S. Open is at Shinnecock Hills, which is considered one of the toughest U.S. Open courses.
Clark feels he has the right mentality going into the major test.
“It’s the ultimate test of patience. You can start great, and the next thing you know, you make some mistakes, or vice versa, you start poorly and you can get it going,” he said. “So it’s really going into the week being rested and mentally rested and accepting what comes at you, you don’t know what it is, and you hope you have your game and next thing you know you hope you’re in contention with nine holes to go.”
Clark wasn’t the only Colorado golfer with a chance for a big win last weekend. Jefferson Academy graduate Jennifer Kupcho was in the mix through the first three rounds of the U.S. Women’s Open. She was just one back going into Sunday but fell into a tie for eighth.
It was good to see Kupcho back in contention at a major. She won the Chevron Championship in 2022 for her only major title.
Kupcho credited preparation and her parents for her strong play at Riviera Country Club.
“When I showed up this week, it was just like I knew where everything was,” Kupcho, who played practice rounds at the course, told reporters. “I knew what I was doing. So I think it actually helped. Parents are always right, right?”
Kupcho made two birdies and five bogeys in the final round and the tie for eighth was her best finish in the U.S. Women’s Open.
Aurora’s Davis Bryant did not have his best week, a tie for 38th at the KLM Open, but continues to impress on the DP World Tour. He is 19th on the Race for Dubai rankings and is inside the top 200 in the world golf ranking.
What they’re saying
“That’s where my dream started.”
— U.S. Women’s Open champion Nelly Korda on playing in the tournament in 2013 at the age of 14
Skins game
Odds to win RBC Canadian Open
Matt Fitzpatrick +1300
Tommy Fleetwood +1300
Sam Burns +1500
Collin Morikawa +2200
Wyndham Clark +2200
Kristoffer Reitan +2500
This week in golf
PGA Tour
RBC Canadian Open
Site: Caledon, Ontario
Course: TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley (North). Yardage: 7,389. Par: 70.
Prize money: $9.8 million. Winner’s share: $1.764 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Golf), 1-4 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Ryan Fox.
LPGA Tour
Dow Championship
Site: Midland, Mich.
Course: Midland CC. Yardage: 6,301. Par: 70.
Prize money: $3.3 million. Winner’s share: $402,691.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m.-Noon (Golf); Saturday, Noon-1 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 1-3 p.m. (Golf); Sunday, 10-11 a.m. (Golf), 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champions: Jin Hee Im and Somi Lee.
PGA Tour Champions
Principal Charity Classic
Site: Des Moines, Iowa
Course: Wakonda Club. Yardage: 6,865. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $300,000.
Television: Friday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 8-10 p.m. (Golf Channel-tape delay: Saturday, 2-3 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 3-5 p.m. (Golf); Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Golf).
Defending champion: Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Korn Ferry Tour
Occunet Classic
Site: Amarillo, Texas
Course: Tascosa GC (La Paloma). Yardage: 7,091. Par: 70.
Prize money: $1 million. Winner’s share: $180,000.
Television: None.
Previous winner: New tournament.
United States Golf Association
CURTIS CUP
Site: Los Angeles
Course: Bel-Air CC. Yardage: 6,284. Par: 70.
Prize money: None.
Television: Friday, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel app), 5-8 p.m. (Golf); Sunday, 4-8 p.m. (Golf).
Defending champion: Great Britain & Ireland.
World Golf Rankings
- Scottie Scheffler 16.08
- Rory McIlroy 9.80
- Cameron Young 7.21
- Matt Fitzpatrick 6.22
- Russell Henley 5.76
- Justin Rose 5.25
- Tommy Fleetwood 5.18
- Jon Rahm 5.00
- J.J. Spaun 4.89
- Collin Morikawa 4.86
- Chris Gotterup 4.70
- Xander Schauffele 4.68
- Aaron Rai 4.28
- Ludvig Aberg 4.28
- Ben Griffin 4.26
- Justin Thomas 4.25
- Robert MacIntyre 4.02
- Si Woo Kim 3.98
- Sepp Straka 3.91
- Alex Noren 3.72
- Tyrrell Hatton 3.65
- Harris English 3.55
- Ryan Gerard 3.54
- Kristoffer Reitan 3.51
- Hideki Matsuyama 3.50