Wyndham Clark Overcomes Hostile New York Crowd and Sputtering Final Round to Claim Second U.S. Open Title at Shinnecock Hills
History was made on Father's Day at Shinnecock Hills, but not the kind many expected. Wyndham Clark, the 2023 champion, held off a furious charge from Sam Burns to win the 126th U.S. Open Championship, finishing at 4-under par to secure a one-stroke victory. In doing so, Clark became just the ninth player in tournament history to win wire-to-wire, and the 24th multiple-time champion.
Clark, who entered Sunday with a six-stroke lead, stumbled early with three bogeys on a front-nine 38. The lead shrank to just a single stroke as his playing partner, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, and his best friend, Sam Burns, applied immense pressure. Scheffler, playing on his 30th birthday and seeking to complete the career Grand Slam, ultimately failed to gather momentum, finishing tied for fourth at even par. Instead, it was Burns who charged, shooting a stellar 3-under 67 to finish at 3-under par, agonizingly close to forcing a playoff.
Throughout the final round, Clark battled not only the treacherous Shinnecock greens but a highly partisan and hostile New York crowd. Spectators repeatedly shouted inappropriate comments at Clark, and several hecklers were escorted off the property by police. Despite the boos and bogeys, Clark delivered a critical birdie on the par-4 10th and a clutch 24-foot birdie on the par-5 16th to maintain his advantage. He capped off the victory by two-putting for par on the 18th hole, where he was greeted by his father, Randall, who had taken a redeye flight from Denver to surprise him.
Tom Kim finished alone in third place at 1-under par, while Scheffler, J.T. Poston, and Keith Mitchell tied for fourth at even par.
"New York didn’t really like me. I love you guys. But, you know, 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 today, it’s my day." — Wyndham Clark