Wyndham Clark held off a group of surging players in Sunday’s final round to win the US Open at Shinnecock Hills in New York. The win is Clark’s second in a Major Championship, both coming in the US Open.
The day began with a six-shot lead for Clark, who entered the final round at seven under par. A group of players were at one under, including world #1 player Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler was in the final pairing with Clark.
The biggest competitor to Clark would actually come from further behind. Former LSU Tiger Sam Burns put together an excellent front nine, putting together four birdies in his first eight holes to get to -4 and within one shot of Clark, who struggled to start his round. Burns would bogey the ninth, and get stuck in neutral. Another bogey at the 15th dropped him to -2, and a Clark birdie made the lead three shots again.
Scheffler and the rest of the chasers struggled on a windy day at Shinnecock. No one surged past -2 to put additional pressure on Clark, who steadied the ship after bogeying three of his first seven.
With Clark’s lead at three entering the 13th, he would again be tested. His bogey there dropped the lead down to two. Just a few moments later, the lead shrunk to one as Burns drilled a birdie putt to get back to -3.
Burns, who was a few groups ahead of Clark, narrowly missed a birdie putt at #18 that could have tied the lead and set the clubhouse mark. Still, he got in with a score of -3.
Down the stretch, Clark was in control but navigating the difficulty of the finishing stretch at Shinnecock. He made birdie at 16 but followed it with bogey at 17.
Needing par on the 72nd hole of the tournament, Clark missed the fairway but put his approach on the green. A two-putt from 52 feet for par secured the win, holding off Burns by one.
