Wyndham Clark overcame wind, unforgiving brutality, 155 competitors and a snowy New York crowd to claim his second US Open championship at the grueling Shinnecock Hills tournament.
Starting the final round with a six-shot lead – a distance lost only once in the history of the Major – Clark fired a 3-over-par 73 to finish at 4-under and win by one shot over Sam Burns to follow up his victory at the Riviera Country Club in 2023.
However, it was not the long journey to the easy victory that many thought, and although he never understood, there were times when it looked like the 32-year-old from Colorado was in danger of joining Greg Norman in falling under the weight he expected during the final round.
With the wind down to 10-15mph on Sunday, compared to the 30-35mph gusts that wreaked havoc three days ago, good scoring was possible, but the combination of firm greens and the need to be aggressive meant that while Clark was there for the shot, most of the chasing pack found themselves chasing their third leader instead of going forward.
THE CONTINUATION BEGAN
Paired in the final group with Scottie Scheffler, Clark looked a little crazy for the crowd who had clearly chosen the world’s slam-chasing no.1 as their favourite, with one fan heard shouting ‘get in the cellar’ as Clark hit his shot in the opening hole.
The leader’s bogeys on 2, 5 and 7 earlier opened the door to a number of potential challengers, including Burns, Scheffler, Sam Stevens, JT Poston and Tom Kim, but each one of them dropped a shot or missed makeable birdie putts at key moments, ensuring that Clark didn’t have to force the issue or hold his own to play a dangerous game.
Burns, who was unlucky not to win last year’s US Open when he was plagued by bad weather and poor judgment of the rules when the holes closed at Oakmont, looked the man who might mount a tough challenge when he made birdies on 3, 5 and 8 to move within one shot of Clark. But bogeys on 9 and 16, followed by several missed birdie putts, including a 10-footer on the par-3 17th and a 17-footer on the 18th, proved costly.
Scheffler, too, faced a cold putter during the last round, indeed a week, with the world no.1 making only eight birdies over 72 holes, and time after time failing to convert those 10-15 feet that have been meat and drink for the four-time major champion in the past.
THE PROBLEM BIRD
But it was when Clark holed a stunning 25-foot birdie putt from the green on the teeing 16th that it looked like he would become the first winner of the tournament since Martin Kaymer in 2014 to lead from the first round to the final. Standing on the tee of the par-3 17th two lead, the 32-year-old Denver native played a conservative 9-iron before the green of the 183-yard hole, but a nervy three-putt bogey from 60 feet sent Burns scrambling to the driving range to keep himself warm before a potential playoff.
But that proved to be a lost trip when, after getting a bad first round with his 314-yard shot on the 490 yard, at 4 18, Clark was able to abuse his ball until it reached the green and boldly two putt from just over 50 meters to get one medal and the second major title of his career.
A HOSTILE CROWD
The New York crowd responded with a remarkably muted response to their 2026 US Open champion, with most of the cheers confined to members of Clark’s family and friends, who stormed the green to congratulate their hero.
Whether the frenzy among the galleries toward Clark was the bad news he attracted when he smashed his locker in anger after missing out on last year’s US Open, or whether they were looking for other players, is unclear, but it’s safe to say the atmosphere on the 18th green felt like it did when Stewart Cink played at the Tom Watson Open09 party.
The master could also see clearly that he was not supporting him in the course and was at pains to express his regret for his past behavior.
“New York didn’t really like me,” Clark said in his post-round interview. “I understand. Some of it is for me. I did some things last year that I regret a lot. I’ve apologized many times and I still do, but hopefully I can beat these guys in the end.
Despite the critics, Clark expressed his delight in backing his 2023 victory and showed that he would not go down as a one-hit wonder. “The first was the success of knowing that I could do it,” he said. “This was a lot of redemption, last year was very difficult, a very bad year. I left last year’s US Open at Oakmont on a sour note. It’s amazing what a year can do. I leave here as a champion and I’m blessed.”
PODIUM FINISHERS
With Burns taking the runner-up spot alone in the bottom three, South Korea’s Tom Kim recorded an impressive second-place finish to take third in the under. Scheffler tied for fourth with teammates JD Poston and Keith Mitchell, while Tyrrell Hatton shot a final 67 to finish tied for seventh with Joaquim Niemann, Gary Woodland and Sam Stevens at one over.
Niemann, in particular, has reason to feel this was a missed opportunity after recording a tournament-destroying seven-bogey 11 on the par-4 6th on Thursday. Two of those 11 strokes were penalty kicks for the frustrated club after hitting two balls out of bounds, thus starting a new misconduct decision. That rule states that ‘players are expected to play in the spirit of the game by acting with integrity, showing consideration for others and taking good care of the course.’
Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, John Parry and PGA champion Aaron Rai all came off the tee in 11th place, while world no.2 Rory McIlroy admitted the course “won the war on me” after finishing with a par of 6 for the week – and a share of 32 – after a final round of 73.
EDUCATION CONDITIONS
After being criticized for ‘losing the course’ in previous US Opens held at Shinnecock Hills in 2004 and 2018 due to water shortages, the United States Golf Association had insisted it would ‘remain playable’ for the rest of the week, but there were many who said the tension on the playing surfaces due to mid-round watering had changed the nature of the watering schedule.
There is no doubt that the soft conditions presented on Thursday gave those playing in the afternoon clubs – including Wyndham Clark – a huge advantage as the strong wind subsided, and that the course had to play hard and fast from the start, but dealing with the elements and managing a course that is more exposed to them is part and parcel of the unpredictable nature of golf, and the reason why it is always forced to play and participate.
To check all the scores and the final leaderboard from the 131st US Open, click here
