Tim Clark received an invitation from the Royal & Ancient Golf Club to play in the 144th Open Championship at St. Andrews, but he never set foot in Scotland last week.
The diminutive South African, who lives most of the year in Scottsdale, Ariz., was unable to get a visa, so he will be waiting for others in the field to show up after the third major of the year when he defends his title beginning Thursday in the RBC Canadian Open.
Clark, 39, claimed the title last year at Royal Montreal Golf Club, beating Jim Furyk by one stroke with birdies on five of the last eight holes. He will defend at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario.
“It’s certainly (a tournament) I wanted to win for a long time,” said Clark, who claimed his first two pro victories on the Canadian Tour in 1998 and whose wife, Candice, is from Toronto. “Any national championship to me is special, particularly to the people from that country. It’s an honor for me to be the (Canadian) Open champion.
“The irony of it is Canada could be the location of my first win and my last one. To come back here, it’s full circle. That was years ago when I was just cutting my teeth as a professional golfer and I was fortunate enough to be given some starts up here, so I have fond memories.
“(Candice) … has a lot of family in the Montreal area. I’ve always enjoyed coming up here and playing. I have a lot of Canadian friends. It’s a big honor.”
Now, about that visa.
Clark played in the Open Championship nine times previously, but he teed it up only four times since January because of a left elbow injury and was not in the field at St. Andrews until recently receiving that special invitation.
However, his visa expired, and the United Kingdom tightened regulations in recent years in an effort to fight child sex trafficking.
The R&A tried to cut through the red tape but couldn’t get it done in time.
“That’s the hardest place to go is the U.K.,” Clark told GolfChannel.com. “Most places I need a visa, but they make it extremely difficult, and I don’t know why. I’m disappointed not to go, but they did try to help, so I’m happy with that.
“But at the same time, I’m just getting back from (being sidelined) and my game feels pretty good, so I’m excited about that.”
Something that Clark is not thrilled with is the ban on anchored putters, which will go into effect Jan. 1.
Clark, who is listed generously at 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds, has used a putter anchored to his sternum since he was an All-American at North Carolina State in 1997.
“I don’t want to think about it until I have to think about it, but I’m thinking about it anyway,” said Clark, whose only other PGA Tour victory came in the 2010 Players Championship.
“It did affect my game at the start, but then I decided I just had to go out and play some golf and stop worrying about it. Go out and just be a better putter. …
“I’ve never been big on changing equipment.”
What makes Clark’s situation different than those of Adam Scott, Keegan Bradley and others who use the long wand is that he was born with something called congenital radioulnar synostosis. The condition makes him unable to turn his forearms and wrists so they are facing upward.
“Essentially what I have is zero supination in my forearms,” said Clark, who captured the 1997 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship after switching to the long putter and has claimed 14 victories around the world as a pro.
“Silly little things are difficult for me, like carrying plates. I could not be a waiter. If you think of holding a bowl of soup, that’s supinating.”
Obviously, he has a sense of humor about it, and so do his friends.
Said fellow South African Trevor Immelman: “It’s always funny when you’re standing with Tim in a food line.”
Clark, nicknamed “Penguin,” and the others have a little under six months to come up with an alternative.
Last year at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, he was seen practicing a side-saddle stroke on the putting green, but as of now, Clark isn’t tipping his hand as to what he might do.
“I’ve got some pretty good ideas, but I’m not going to tell you just in case they try to ban those,” Clark said with a laugh. “I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on it. I’m not as concerned as I was maybe the start of last year because I’ve figured something out now and I’ll be fine.
“But I’m not going to spend my time practicing it now while I’m trying to play tournaments this year with what I’ve used. … I’ve been putting with the same style for 17 years.
“Whatever you end up doing, it still comes down to confidence and mindset.”
Being a little guy, he is used to solving big problems.
–Story courtesy of The Sports Xchange, TSX Golf Editor Tom LaMarre
