'Come Sunday They Might Be Leaking Oil' - Clark Warns Fatigue Factor Could Hurt Europe

Wyndham Clark says Europe's players could struggle with mental fatigue on Ryder Cup Sunday after playing much more golf in the build-up

Wyndham Clark at the 2023 Ryder Cup
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Wyndham Clark says the USA being a fresher team could prove the difference against a European side that could suffer from mental fatigue later in the week, as they look to snap their 30-year Ryder Cup losing streak.

Clark has been making headlines in the build-up even if he didn't mean to, as he again insisted his comments about Rory McIlroy were taken out of context, and now he's talked about Europe's possible mental weakness.

The USA haven't won a Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993, but US Open champion Clarke says he's confident Zach Johnson's team can end that streak in Rome this week.

The two teams have had slightly different build-ups, with Team USA largely resting up for the last few weeks while all 12 Europeans played at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and many at the Irish Open the week before.

Clark says that while being the busier of the two could have helped Europe play into form, he feels that the USA being fresher, especially mentally, could be a big positive going down the stretch. 

"I think the European team, it's great that they got to play, but I also think they might be maybe a little mentally fatigued as this week goes on," Clark said at Marco Simone Golf Club.

"This is obviously a very intense environment and mentally challenging, and then also you put in a pretty physically demanding golf course being so hilly and up and down that maybe come Sunday they might be leaking oil and we'll be fresh."

This year the USA have a number of players who have not yet tasted the atmosphere of a Ryder Cup on the road, but Clark is confident their winning mentality from dominating the amateur team events could help them.

After watching so many USA Ryder Cup teams come unstuck on their travels, Clark is confident that the visitors can finally end that hoodoo.

"I think our current team right now, we have so many guys that have not played a foreign Ryder Cup, an away game, if you will. I think that ignorance is bliss in my opinion," Clark added.

"We have guys like Scottie Scheffler and Max Homa and Collin Morikawa and myself that have played on Walker Cup and Palmer Cup teams where we dominated, and all we know in our years is how to win, both away and at home. 

"Then all we've ever seen and watched is that we lose on the road for Ryder Cups, and so I almost feel like we have a little added chip on our shoulder.

"I think that we'll come in and say, you know what, we've seen what not to do, and all we know is what to do. I'm hoping that's the case this year. 

"I really think our team is really strong, and regardless of having the fans against us, I think a lot of us are going to embrace that.

"I think a lot of us played other sports. We were all athletes in many different sports, and I think we all said, hey, I love that it's an away game. We feel like we can quiet the crowd, and it would be even more fun and more enjoyable to win on the road.

"I'm hoping this is the year we break the streak, and I feel really confident in our team."

Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.