Wyndham Clark was going to do it. 

Wyndham Clark was going to do it? 

Really? Clark?

No offense is meant — he’s a ball-striking robot, after all — but hadn’t he been up by four shots after two Players Championship rounds? And was now down three to sensational Scottie Scheffler, who’d just wrapped up one of the most electric Players final rounds ever, a seven-birdie, one-eagle, no-bogey 64? Yeah, Clark was. Part of it was Scheffler. Part of it was Clark as he stood on TPC Sawgrass’ 16th tee. He was one-under to that point, which would be akin to just floating in the nearby Atlantic Ocean, while Scheffler was ripping past in a jet ski. 

But Clark was dogged, even amidst Sawgrass’ fearsome finish. On the par-5 16th, from 187 yards out and water to his right, he rifled an iron just to the left of the pin, the ball finishing about 10 feet past. He missed short from there, but he made his birdie. 

He was down two. 

Maybe.

He walked to the par-3 17th, where Saturday he tripped. This was ugly. A pure chunk ahead of the famed island green, into the watery moat. Maybe that was in his head. The hole, playing to a back-right pin 136 yards away, can play tricks. But Clark was game. This was nasty. His ball dropped to the left of the flag, caught the slope and skated to 4 feet from the hole. He made that. 

He was down one. 

Maybe. 

But there is a one-two-three punch at Sawgrass. The 18th, with water that lines the left side of the hole and trees along the right, is fiendish. But Clark found the fairway with his tee ball. He wedged to 17 feet with his second shot. He thought it’d be better — a club twirl was spotted — but his ball mostly stuck instead of skipping forward. No matter. He’d make this. He’d always wanted one of these, a putt to win, or in this case, a putt to tie. “One of those really awesome moments,” he admitted later. 

First, playing partner Xander Schauffele, who also had a shot to equal Scheffler, missed from 61 feet. Clark and caddie John Ellis then dug in. They measured. Clark, squatting, held his putter across from one open eye. Clark, holding a wedge, stood over the ball as Clark watched from behind. They discussed. NBC mics picked up this from Ellis: “I like it.” If you’re a Clark fan, you liked to hear it. They were confident.

Clark putted.