It was a sunny Sunday afternoon as former Wolfpack golfer Tim Clark slowly approached his lie. Years removed from his final ACC Championship, he found himself in a troublesome spot — the bunker.

But not just any bunker — a bunker adjacent to the green on the 18th hole of the 2006 Masters in the final round. And the situation could not have come at a worse time — tied with a laundry list of players for second place.

While he was in eminent danger of falling behind all of them, what happened next would be a moment Clark will recall with a smile for quite some time.

He swung, lifting some of the surrounding sand, and got the ball onto the green. It began to break toward the hole, gaining speed. The ball was locked onto its target, and much to the pleasure of the roaring crowd, the bunker shot fell into the cup.

“It broke me out of a huge deadlock for second place, and it meant a lot in terms of that. It was one of those shots that I felt like I could make when I got in there and looked at it. It’s certainly not one you expect to make,” Clark said.

The shot that Sportscenter dubbed “shot of the day” and placed in its Top 10 highlights allowed Clark to claim outright second in the tournament.

“Tim last year was the No. 2-ranked bunker player on tour, so I really wasn’t worried about him getting it up and down,” N.C. State coach Richard Sykes said of his former player.

“If you were watching the telecast, you noticed he got out of in front of the bunker and lined it up just like a putt. And then his bunker shot, he said if he could get it out right in a certain place in the green, it would run right straight to the hole, and it happened.”

Clark had finished ahead of every participant of the Masters not named Phil Mickelson. The second overall finish at Augusta National was the highest finish in Clark’s PGA Tour career.

“I’ve never really felt like the course there suited me very well. I went there this year just to try to enjoy the tournament again and try to have some fun,” Clark said. “I was able to play the course pretty effectively, so I had a lot of fun from day one.”

Finishes like the one at the Masters are making Clark more recognizable than just his long putter and South African accent.

He ranks No. 28 in money on the PGA Tour this year, earning almost $1.8 million, with four top-10 finishes and nine top-25s.

“Tim, during his college career was as good as anybody [who] ever had a career at N.C. State. To say he was the best golfer is something I’m not so sure. [But] he had the best career as a collegiate,” Sykes said.

It has been the most successful playing year Clark has had since 1997, when he was the ACC Player of the Year.

Clark’s stellar play during his time at State left its mark on the school record book.

But the school record-holder for lowest career and single-year scoring average notes the school has had an impact on him.

“I would almost go to say that if it wasn’t for my opportunity to go to N.C. State, I wouldn’t probably be out on tour right now,” Clark said.

“It certainly allowed me the opportunity to come from South Africa to America, and in my four years there it allowed me to play college tournaments. And obviously I owe all that opportunity to coach Sykes and N.C. State.”

One of his trademarks, the long putter, is something else Clark still carries with him from his days at State.

“That’s something I started my second year at State,” Clark said. “I’ve done better with it than [when] I [had] a short putter, but it took me a long time to get used to it. It took a lot of practice and still does take a lot of practice to get used to.”

Sykes is listed as Clark’s PGA Tour instructor, but Sykes said even though he does keep in touch with his former golfer, he doesn’t have to offer much advice.

“We kept in touch very often,” Clark said of Sykes. “Anytime I’m around Raleigh or anywhere near, we get together. It’s probably five or six times a year I get to see coach.”

Clark and fellow former State golfer, Carl Pettersson, could translate their pro careers’ success and association with the University to help the program that helped them.

“I hope Carl and my success has helped get some recognition for the golf program at State and for Richard. We had a great time there, and [it] allowed us to improve our games and get experience,” Clark said.

A new golf course is in the works to open sometime in the near future on State’s Centennial Campus. It will not only be the new home course of the Pack, but also a course of interest for Clark.

“I’m sure once it’s done I’ll be out there at some stage. I always make a point to make to get to Raleigh once a year and see everyone. [It] should be great,” Clark said.