Are We Playing Big Enough?

Today is the day. Join guests Desireé Reed-Francois, Jim Mora, and Michael Lombardi live for Episode 2 of Daily Coach TV at 12:30 pm EDT/9:30 am PDT. Register for free here.

When golfer Wyndham Clark was 19, his mother, Lise, died of breast cancer. Before she passed, she left him with a simple message: “Play big.”

Clark has said she wasn’t just talking about golf, she meant life. Play big referred to using your gifts, taking your shot, and living for something bigger than yourself.

This year at the U.S. Open, Clark did exactly that, claiming his second major championship. His story is a whole lot bigger than the trophy.

Redemption starts with responsibility

One year ago, Clark experienced what he described as one of the lowest moments of his professional career. After missing the cut at Oakmont, he damaged a locker in frustration. He was banned from the club, paid for the damage, made a charitable contribution, and underwent anger management.

In the aftermath, Clark apologized several times and accepted responsibility.

It was a terrible mistake, which Clark insists he has learned from and will never repeat. Both things can be true at once. Accountability and growth are not opposites.

In fact, accountability is usually the first step toward growth. Clark recently called his second U.S. Open title “redemption,” not because the mistake disappeared, and not because the consequences vanished, but because he faced what happened, owned it, and continued the work of becoming better.

Mistakes matter, and Clark has learned that the hard way: boos have followed him on the PGA Tour, mostly related to his anger outburst in 2025. But Clark has showed that mistakes definitely don’t need to be the final, or defining, chapter.

‘Good process’

At the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Clark faced plenty of adversity. He was paired with fan favorite and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler on Scheffler’s 30th birthday. Sam Burns was charging up the leaderboard. The crowds were vocal, and hecklers repeatedly tried to get under his skin.

Clark wasn’t exactly playing his best golf, either. Yet throughout the round, his caddie, David Pelekoudas, kept bringing him back to the same place. After discussions about shots, just before Clark swung away, Pelekoudas would say: “Good process.”

Golf analysts noted that he didn’t talk about the score, leaderboard, or area to land the ball. It was a reminder about what’s in Clark’s control, the process. “Good process,” he said over and over.

So much anxiety in sports and performance comes from trying to control things we can’t, notably results, other players. public opinion, and the future.

Process is different because process is ours. Clark’s caddy was essentially reminding him: Prepare well, make the best decision you can, commit fully, then let the outcome be whatever it will be.

What would happen if, after a difficult conversation, a workout, a meeting, a project, or even an entire day, we asked ourselves a different question? Not: Did everything go well? But: Did I follow a good process?

That’s where confidence comes from, and perhaps that’s what Clark’s mother meant all along when she told him to “play big.”

Today at 12:30 p. EDT/9:30 am PDT, Episode 2 of Daily Coach TV goes live with guests Desireé Reed-Francois, Jim Mora, and Michael Lombardi joining co-hosts Lin Dunn and Josh Chambers for a 45-minute live discussion on how they evaluate leadership skills in players and staff, followed by a 10-minute live audience Q&A.

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