Wyndham Clark (back) 'trending in the right direction'

Wyndham Clark is optimistic that he will be able to compete in the Texas Children's Houston Open after sustaining a back injury earlier this week.

The tournament starts Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.

Clark, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world and reigning U.S. Open champion, said Wednesday that he was injured while lifting weights on Monday.

"I was in Scottsdale, I was working out," Clark said. "Body's been really healthy and I just got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and back went. It's not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn. I'm trending in the right direction, I'm hitting it or feeling stronger and more mobile every day."

Clark, 30, acknowledged that his team of therapists has helped in his recovery, so much so that he was able to play in a nine-hole pro-am on Wednesday.

"I was in pretty bad shape (Tuesday), but fortunately I have a great team that has gotten me to be able to swing and hit," Clark said. "I was only really able to chip and putt, then I did a bunch of rehab and I was able to hit balls today. So just in a short time I've improved a ton and I think I'll be ready for tomorrow."

Clark acknowledged that he'd like to play in this tournament with The Masters approximately two weeks away. That said, he'll let his back ultimately make that decision.

"I'm going to give it my best effort (Thursday), and hopefully I can play and compete," he said. "If not, I've got to get ready for tournaments to come after this."

—Field Level Media