Wyndham Clark ready for some home cooking at BMW Championship | Golf Central |Golf Channel

ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH. WE WILL SEE HOW THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD HANDLE GOLF AT ELEVATION. ONE GUY WHO SHOULD NOT BE INTIMIDATED IS WYNDHAM CLARK, WHO GREW UP IN HIGHLANDS PARK, COLORADO, LESS THAN 20 MINUTES AWAY FROM THE COURSE. WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL HE WON THE STATE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP TWICE WITH A CLASSMATE, BY THE WAY OF 49ers RUNNING BACK CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY. KIRA K. DIXON CAUGHT UP WITH THE FORMER U.S. OPEN CHAMPION ON THE COURSE TODAY. >> YOU DON'T GET TO PLAY A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL GOLF IN YOUR HOME STATE. THE LAST TIME THAT THE TOUR WAS IN COLORADO WAS TEN YEARS AGO IN 2006 WAS THE LAST TIME THEY WERE IN PINES. WHAT IS THE FAN CLUB, THE FAMILY MANAGEMENT SITUATION GOING TO BE LIKE FOR YOU THIS WEEK? >> WELL, IT IS A LOT. DEFINITELY GETTING A LOT OF TICKETS. ALL OF MY FAMILY HAS GOTTEN THESE HATS, THESE PINK HATS THAT SAY "DUB CLUB" AND "PLAY BIG ON THE BACK" WHICH IS KIND OF COOL. I HAVE A LOT OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS I HAVE PEOPLE FROM MY HIGH SCHOOL AND GRADE SCHOOL AND WHAT NOT THAT ARE -- I HAVEN'T SEEN FOREVER AND THEY'RE ALL COMING OUT. I IMAGINE I WILL HAVE A PRETTY GOOD FAN BASE. >> YOU ARE ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE IN THE FIELD THAT HAS ANY EXPERIENCE AT CASTLE PINES. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THIS GOLF COURSE? >> WELL, ONE, IT IS BEAUTIFUL. IT IS ONE OF THE PREMIERE IF NOT THE PREMIERE CLUBS IN COLORADO. IT IS -- IT IS TOUGH BECAUSE OF THE ELEVATION, SO WE DON'T NORMALLY PLAY AT ELEVATION. WE'RE AT 6,000 FEET HERE, AND THERE'S A LOT OF ELEVATION CHANGE AS WELL. SO THE HARDEST THING HERE IS HONESTLY CONTROLLING YOUR GOLF BALL, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT -- THE NEXT THING IS THE GREENS ARE TYPICALLY VERY FIRM. SO YOU'VE GOT TO BE PLAYING FROM THE FAIRWAY. THOSE ARE PROBABLY MY TWO BIGGEST TIPS FOR ANYONE. >> YOU'RE NOT GIVING AWAY ALL OF THE -- >> NO, NO, THAT'S JUST BETWEEN US. >> AWESOME. AND THE WHOLE "GOLF CENTRAL" AUDIENCE WATCHING. FOR YOU GROWING UP NEARBY, HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE AT CASTLE PINES? >> I WAS GOING THROUGH THAT. I WOULD SAY BETWEEN 30 AND 40 TIMES I HAVE PLAYED HERE. >> WOW. >> I DIDN'T GROW UP PLAYING AT THIS GOLF COURSE, BUT I HAD TWO REALLY GOOD FRIENDS THAT PLAYED HERE AND THEY HOSTED ME QUITE A BIT, AND THEN AS I'VE GOTTEN OLDER AND I COME BACK TO COLORADO I LOVE COMING TO PLAY THIS PLACE. YEAH, ABOUT 30 TIMES. >> I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THE TIPS, BUT THE ELEVATION, OVER 6,000 FEET. THIS IS THE LONGEST GOLF COURSE TO EVER BE PLAYED IN PGA TOUR HISTORY, OVER 8,000 YARDS. SO FOR YOU TO SWITCH YOUR MINDSET FROM, YOU KNOW, REGULAR PGA TOUR WEEK IN, WEEK OUT, TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, WHAT IS THE MAIN THING TO KEEP IN MIND? >> YOU KNOW, IT WILL PROBABLY -- LIKE WE'RE SO GOOD AT ADJUSTING, I FEEL LIKE PROS ARE. SO EVEN THOUGH IT IS 8,100 OR WHATEVER IT IS, YOU KNOW, WITH 10% OF ELEVATION IT COMES OUT TO BE ROUGHLY WHAT WE PLAY AT ABOUT 7,300 AT SEA LEVEL. SO, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU MAKE THE ADJUSTMENTS OF HOW FAR YOUR CLUBS GO, IT IS NORMAL GOLF. IT IS JUST NOW INSTEAD OF HITTING YOUR 7 IRON, WHAT YOU ARE USED TO, IT IS NOW ANOTHER 20 YARDS FARTHER. ONCE YOU MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS, IT IS NORMAL GOLF. YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND TOUGHEST THINGS IS TRAJECTORY WITH HOW HIGH YOU HIT IT. GROWING UP HERE, YOU KNOW, I KNEW HOW FAR I COULD HIT MY 7 IRON. IF I WANTED EXTRA, IN COLORADO IF YOU HIT IT HIGHER IT GOES FARTHER AND MAYBE YOU CAN'T DO THAT AT SEA LEVEL. THAT'S KIND OF MAYBE A LITTLE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND BEING USED TO THE ALTITUDE THAT IF YOU ARE BETWEEN CLUBS, YOU KIND OF ALWAYS GO WITH THE SHORTER CLUB AND HIT IT HARDER. >> OKAY. SO A PLACE THAT YOU DID NOT HAVE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE, I WANT TO SWITCH GEARS TO LE GOLF NATIONAL AND THE OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE. >> YEAH. >> YOU TALKED ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT. YOU TOLD OUR OWN SMYLIE KAUFMAN ABOUT THE CARDBOARD BED EXPERIENCE AND ALL OF THAT. >> YEAH. >> WHEN YOU PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE NOW THAT YOU HAD TWO WEEKS TO REALLY PROCESS THE OLYMPICS, WHAT ARE GOING TO BE THE MAIN THINGS THAT REALLY STAND OUT TO YOU? >> ONE, I JUST THINK THE HONOR OF REPRESENTING YOUR COUNTRY IS AMAZING. THERE'S NOTHING LIKE IT IN SPORTS, AND, YOU KNOW, TO DO IT AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF THE OLYMPICS WAS HONESTLY AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE AND SECOND TO NONE. THE OPENING CEREMONY IS PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE THING FOR ME, JUST BEING ON THE BOAT WITH THE BEST U.S. ATHLETES AND THEN ALL OF THE ATHLETES GOING THROUGH THAT EXPERIENCE WAS -- IT IS JUST -- COLLIN AND I WERE ON THE BOAT TOGETHER AND WE'RE LOOKING AROUND AND GOING, IS THIS EVEN REAL? IT DIDN'T FEEL REAL. THAT WAS SO COOL. AND THEN GETTING TO WITNESS ALL OF THE OTHER SPORTS WAS NEAT, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THE GOLF WAS AMAZING. THERE WAS 30,000 EVERY DAY. THEY LOVED THE GOLF. THEY WERE GREAT FANS AND IT FELT LIKE A MAJOR. THE OLYMPICS IS BECOMING ONE OF THE BIGGEST, IF NOT THE BIGGEST EVENT IN GOLF. >> YEAH, I WAS OUT THERE ON THE FINAL DAY. IT WAS WILD. >> IT WAS SO COOL. >> HOW PASSIONATE THE FANS WERE. >> YEAH. >> AND DID YOU GET TO BE A PASSIONATE FAN FOR OTHER SPORTS? >> YES, I WENT TO -- I WAS REALLY FORTUNATE. I GOT A BUNCH OF TICKETS TO A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT EVENTS. I WENT TO SWIMMING, GYMNASTICS, TRACK, TENNIS AND BEACH VOLLEYBALL. >> DID YOU GO TO BEACH VOLLEYBALL AT NIGHT? >> AT NIGHT UNDER THE EIFFEL TOWER, WHICH WAS AMAZING. >> CAN'T BEAT THAT. THE FIRST ROUND OF THE OLYMPICS YOU SHOOT 75 AND THEN YOU FLIP A SWITCH AND END UP HAVING A GREAT REST OF THAT GOLF TOURNAMENT. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN PLAYING SOME GREAT GOLF SINCE THEN. WHERE ARE YOU AT WITH THE GOLF GAME AND WHAT KIND OF SWITCHED AFTER THE FIRST DAY AT THE OLYMPICS? >> I HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN PLAYING A LOT OF REALLY GOOD KIND OF FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAYS, I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING ON THURSDAY. THAT WAS EVEN BEFORE -- THAT WAS EVEN BEFORE THE OLYMPICS AND I WAS REALLY BUMMED. HONESTLY, I WANTED TO HAVE A GREAT OLYMPICS AND WANTED TO TRY TO MEDAL FOR MY COUNTRY, AND I WAS REALLY UPSET THAT DAY. I WENT HOME AND WAS MAD, BUT I -- THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE OLYMPICS IS YOU ARE PLAYING FOR SOMETHING BIGGER AND IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT YOUR INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES. YOU ARE PLAYING FOR YOUR COUNTRY AND I WANTED TO REPRESENT MY COUNTRY WELL. I SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO SHOW THEM WHO I AM AND I'M AN AMERICAN ATHLETE AND ALSO BUILD MOMENTUM FOR THE PLAYOFFS. SO THAT WAS HUGE FOR ME. I MEAN PLAYING THREE ROUNDS WHERE I PLAYED HONESTLY AMAZING GOLF AND, YOU KNOW, I EVEN HAD A COUPLE OF WATER BALLS IN THOSE THREE ROUNDS. YOU KNOW, THAT'S FOUR SHOTS, I MAYBE HAVE AN OUTSIDE LOOK AT A BRONZE EVEN WITH SHOOTING 75. BUT I BUILT A LOT OF MOMENTUM WITH THAT AND I PLAYED REALLY NICE LAST WEEK IN MEMPHIS. SO THE GAME IS TRENDING AND IT IS A GOOD TIME TO TREND, AND, HOPEFU