Wyndham Clark survived a major final round scare and blocked out a hostile crowd to secure a second U.S. Open triumph in four years in what was an engrossing contest.
The 32-year-old American, who was champion in 2023, came into the final round at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club with a comprehensive six-shot advantage at the top of the leaderboard and appeared firmly on course for victory. But that lead was cut down to just one at the 7th thanks to a final-round charge from fellow American Sam Burns, piling the pressure on the overnight leader.
It was not just Burns that Clark had to contend with in the final round with the New York crowd jeering and shouting every poor shot throughout the final round, mirroring the scenes at last year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black which saw Team Europe subjected to verbal abuse.
Clark stumbled to a front-nine 38 with momentum seemingly in Burns’ favour following birdies at the 1st, 3rd, and 5th. But Clark hung onto the lead at the turn having saved pat at the 9th. Clark remained in front throughout the back nine and carried a one-shot lead into the closing stretch where he sunk a sublime 25-foot birdie at the 16th which felt like a crucial step closer towards the title. However, he followed that up with a three-putt bogey at the 17th, to give Burns hope and allow pressure to mount up once more. A par was required at the least to seal victory and Clark held his nerve two-putting from 52 feet to close with a three-over 73, finish on 4 under, and claim a narrow one-shot victory, sparking emotional scenes.
“It feels pretty amazing,” Clark said, after becoming the 10th American winner of the event in 12 years. “I played some ugly golf the last two days but my putter and short game kind of kept me in it. To make all the putts I did has been amazing.”
Clark’s triumph comes a year after he was banned by Oakmont Country Club, the venue for last year’s U.S. Open, following an incident in which he damaged a locker in frustration with his display during the tournament. This is thought to have been a factor in the hostile reception he received from the spectators in New York.
“New York didn’t really like me. I love you guys,” Clark said. “I get it. Some of it’s self-deserved. I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret and I’ve been sorry multiple times and I’m still sorry, so hopefully I can win you guys over eventually. But I get it, they root for Scottie. Grand Slams only happen a few times. He’s going to get it, he’s the best player in the world. But today is my day.
“The first one [in 2023] was a breakthrough knowing I could do it. This one was redemption.”
As well as earning the $4.5 million prize, Clark’s wire-to-wire victory moves him up to No. 8 on the Official World Golf Ranking and guarantees a decade-long exemption into the U.S. Open, along with five-year exemptions into the other majors.
Burns, Clark’s main challenger, ended the tournament as runner-up on 3 under after carding a final-round 67 while South Korea’s Joo-Hyung (Tom) Kim recorded his second best finish in a major by claiming third on 1 under.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was chasing a career Grand Slam, finished in a tie for fourth alongside fellow Americans J.T. Poston and Keith Mitchell. Despite falling short of contention on the final day, Scheffler was full of praise for Clark’s composure under pressure, particularly in dealing with the fiery atmosphere from the Shinnecock Hills crowd.
“The crowd was tough. New Yorkers are tough people” Scheffler said. “Sometimes it can get a little too much when balls are going off greens and you start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me.
“It shows a lot about Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course but the crowd as well and he is a well-deserving champion.”
Meanwhile, Masters champions Rory McIlroy closed with a final-round 73 to end on 6 over in T32 as his wait for a second U.S. Open title continues.
“I think it [Shinnecock Hills] won the battle over me at this point,” he told reporters. “Looking back on the entire week, I will rue the back nine yesterday.
“I got myself to two under par after nine yesterday and the wheels came off and I played a really bad back nine and shot myself out of the tournament, so was really disappointed coming away from the course last night.
“You try to come out here today positive and muster up the energy to put a good one in there and then [after] a couple of bogies on the front nine I was trying to race my way to the 18th green.”
What is the next Major?
The next major on the men’s calendar is The Open Championship taking place between 16-19 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in England.