Mental health key as '80% of players storm off' unhappy

Golfers request to beryllium amended astatine checking connected each other's wellbeing fixed "80% of players large wind off" unhappy pinch their rounds, says Wyndham Clark, who will take sides his US Open title astatine Pinehurst this week.

Mental wellness has go a cardinal attraction since 30-year-old Grayson Murray walked disconnected midway done a PGA Tour arena past period and took his ain life nan adjacent day.

"That's a sad and tragic business that happened," said Clark of Murray, who had well-documented issues pinch alcoholism, worry and depression.

"The unfortunate point for what we do is it is truthful lonely and it's very difficult.

"I've been successful galore debased spots wherever you person immoderate antagonistic thoughts which you don't ever want to have."

And while he accepts location are "unlimited resources" to thief golfers connected tour, alternatively than conscionable saying "how are you playing", Clark wants players and caddies to beryllium asking of each other: "how are you doing?"

"That's much possibly connected nan players to return inaugural to do that," nan world number 4 added.

Clark, who held disconnected Rory McIlroy successful Los Angeles to triumph his first awesome by 1 changeable successful 2023, is wished to not put excessively overmuch unit connected himself this week.

The 30-year-old American won astatine Pebble Beach successful February and vanished runner-up astatine nan Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship successful March.

But since past his shape has tailed off, pinch 3 missed cuts successful his past 5 events, including astatine some fields - nan Masters and US PGA Championship.

"I haven't been playing my champion golf. It's been benignant of a reliable agelong these past fewer weeks," he said. "It's challenging, frustrating.

"I'm conscionable trying to summation immoderate momentum. I cognize that possibly sounds for illustration debased expectations but I'd emotion to conscionable summation immoderate momentum for nan remainder of nan season."

Clark said "working connected his expectations" are cardinal to his ain intelligence wellbeing.

"Too often players, including myself, get tied up truthful overmuch successful people and outcome, and nan crippled of play is truthful frustrating and truthful hard," he added.

"There are those really lonely times erstwhile you miss nan cut, you propulsion your clubs successful nan car, you thrust off, and you're [angry].

"On TV they typically show nan guys playing great, nan crippled seems awesome. In reality I'd opportunity 80% of nan section storms disconnected aft a batch of nan rounds.

"That's conscionable nan quality of our game. That's why it is specified a intelligence game. I've learned that location are truthful galore different accomplishment levels retired here, and nan quality betwixt nan guys that really make it and bask nan crippled person a agelong career, they're conscionable amended mentally than everyone."

Follow unrecorded matter sum of each 4 rounds of nan US Open from 12:30 BST connected Thursday, pinch power commentary of nan last 2 rounds connected Saturday and Sunday connected nan BBC Sport website and app and BBC Sounds. Full specifications here.