Foundational

Denver native Wyndham Clark’s Play Big Foundation donating $80,000 to Colorado Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation; Clark’s mother passed away in 2013 after battling breast cancer

By Gary Baines – 10/29/2024

To anyone who regularly follows Wyndham Clark on the PGA Tour, it’s probably been apparent that the Denver native traditionally wears pink on Sunday during tournament weeks.

It’s done in order for Clark to pay tribute to his mom, Lise, who passed away in 2013 after battling breast cancer. The words Lise used to encourage Wyndham — “Play Big” — became the name for the charitable foundation Clark started in the last year, the “Play Big Foundation.” 

And on Monday, the Valor Christian High School graduate announced a large donation — thanks in significant part to the help of outside donors — that his foundation is sending to a Colorado-based organization that helps those fighting breast cancer. 

The three-time PGA Tour winner said $80,000 will go to the Colorado Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation, helping “support individuals and families affected by breast cancer” in the Centennial State.

Wyndham Clark wore his traditional Sunday pink during the final round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in August.

During the BMW Championship, held in late August at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Clark said that in celebration of the week he’d had competing in front of big crowds in his native state he’d be making a $50,000 donation to a Colorado-based cancer charity through his Play Big Foundation. He also encouraged fans to wear pink on final-round Sunday at Castle Pines.

This week, the No. 6-ranked golfer in the world announced an $80,000 donation for the CBCAF — a total which includes the $50,000 pledge Clark made on Aug. 24.

“A few months back during the BMW Championship, I challenged everyone to help me raise money for breast cancer in the local communities in Colorado,” Clark said in a video posted to his X account on Monday. “I’m pleased to announce after that week and the month of October, that we raised $80,000 that we donated to the Colorado Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation. Thank you so much for your love and generosity. This will go to a great cause helping families struggling with cancer.”

And it sounds as if the CBCAF might receive further donations from the Play Big Foundation in the future.

“I am eager to see how this donation impacts the local Colorado community, and I look forward to hopefully working with them for years to come,” Clark said in a press release. 

“It gives me great pleasure and satisfaction when we get a ‘Thank You’ note from one of our grant recipients thanking us for the generous gift that helped them get through a financially tough time and gives them hope,” said Scot Somes, founder of the CBCAF. “I know we are on the right path and doing God’s work. This partnership is going to allow us to take CBCAF to a new level. We will be able to provide more money to more people going through breast cancer treatments in Colorado. We look forward to getting referrals from the Play Big Foundation and getting them the financial help they need.”

Back in January, shortly after launching the foundation, Clark told Colorado Golf Journal what he hoped to accomplish with it.

“I’m really excited about this foundation,” the 2023 U.S. Open winner said. “Every year I’m going to be giving a good portion of the money I earn on the golf course to the foundation. In the future, I hope we’re going to have a golf event that’s going to be very fun. It could be in Vegas or Arizona or maybe back in Colorado — or do two events. So hopefully we’ll raise a ton of money and continue to grow this foundation so that we can go and really impact people’s lives.”

Colorado will be inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame on Dec. 1.