Second Wynd: Clark Wins by One at Shinnecock Hills

Considering the volatility of a U.S. Open setup and all the mental pressure that goes into competing for this prestigious championship, going wire-to-wire is an immense challenge.

Perhaps that’s a reason why only eight golfers had achieved such a feat in 125 previous iterations. Most of the names are among the game’s legends, guys like Tiger Woods (twice), Rory McIlroy, Ben Hogan and Walter Hagen.

That Wyndham Clark became the ninth to do it is remarkable, especially considering how he completed the task.

Forget the fact that he carried a six-stroke lead into the final round on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills. He also was paired with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who, on his 30th birthday and Father’s Day, was trying to complete the career Grand Slam as well as a fan base clearly rooting for the tall Texan.

For stretches of the front nine, it appeared that Clark might succumb to Sunday major-championship pressure. Bogeys on three of his first seven holes suddenly created doubt and an opening for the chasers, particularly Sam Burns.

But Clark, as he did the entire championship, never fully backed down. His two-putt par from 52 feet on the 72nd hole secured a one-stroke victory over Burns.

The Coloradoan, who won this title in 2023 at The Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club, shot a final-round, 3-over-par 73 for a 72-hole total of 4-under 276, matching the lowest score (Retief Goosen in 2004) in a U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills.

Burns, who carded a 3-under 67 on Sunday, and Tom Kim (279), a qualifier who had fallen to No. 141 in the Official World Golf Ranking, were the only other golfers to finish in the red. Kim shot an even-par 70 on Sunday.

Clark was the first player in 12 years (Martin Kaymer in 2014 at Pinehurst) to lead after every round. The 32-year-old also is the 24th multi-winner of the U.S. Open, and the third consecutive champion at Shinnecock Hills to secure his second title, joining Retief Goosen (2004) and Brooks Koepka (2018).

“The first one was kind of just the breakthrough of knowing I can do it, and then this one was a lot of redemption,” said Clark. “Last year was so tough, a terrible year. I left  in shambles, and it's amazing what a year can do. I'm leaving here this Sunday as a champion, and I'm just so blessed.”

Much like Goosen 22 years ago when he one-putted 11 greens in the final round, Clark pulled this win off with his ability to recover. Time after time, he managed to overcome a poor approach shot by getting up and down for par. He was 16 of 24 in scrambling for the week When Clark showed signs of possibly losing his six-stroke lead on the front nine alone, he made par putts of 15 and 10 feet on the fourth and sixth holes, respectively.

For the week, he led the field in putts made from over 20 feet with five. None was bigger than the 25-foot birdie putt he converted on the par-5 16th hole after hitting his drive into thick fescue. Even though Clark three-putted the par-3 17th to see his lead over Burns trimmed to one, he knocked his 193-yard approach from the right rough to 52 feet below the hole.

He muscled the nerves for one final lag putt to 9 inches for the easy tap-in par.

“Oh, my gosh. I played some ugly golf the last two days,” said Clark, “but my putter and short game kept me in it. To make all the putts I did with my Ping putter that I love so much has been amazing.

“But honestly, it comes down to just believing that good things are going to happen and that you're going to make the putt, and fortunately the ones I needed to make, I did.”

As Sunday began, all eyes were on Scheffler, and for good reason. The fact that it was his 30th birthday only added to the storyline. He shot a third-round 69 to earn a spot alongside Clark in the day’s final pairing. And he easily had the largest and loudest rooting section.

But right from the outset, Scheffler seemed stuck in neutral. He overshot the first green with his approach, leading to a bogey. Even a birdie on the par-5 fifth failed to give him any momentum. He turned in 1-over 36 and played his final nine holes in even-par 35 to finish at even-par 280, four back of Clark.

“I've always been a guy that likes to know where I'm at in the tournament,” said Scheffler, a four-time major champion who only has one victory in 2026 after claiming two major titles last season. “Being in the final group with the guy that you're trying to chase is always a good spot to be in. It's better than being a few groups ahead, I think.

“Winning major championships is extremely difficult. . Wyndham started with a six-shot lead. It's just hard. It's a hard golf course. It's hard to win these golf tournaments.

“He had some stones down the stretch. He showed what he's made of there with a great birdie there on 16. I don't know if ‘escapability’ is the right word, but he's a very underrated scrambler. I think you saw a lot of that today in some of the spots where he was and able to make pars from.”

The big move came from the guy in the fourth-to-last pairing. Burns started the day seven strokes back and had designs of putting together an Arnold Palmer- or Johnny Miller-type Sunday; guys who shot 65 (1960) and 63 (1973), respectively, to win U.S. Open titles coming from behind. Palmer was seven back at Cherry Hills and Miller six behind at Oakmont. The Louisianan, who held the 54-hole lead a year ago at Oakmont (T-7), was in the role of chaser this Sunday and when he birdied four of his first eight holes, a 63 or 64 seemed possible. In 2018, Tommy Fleetwood carded a final-round 63, only to come up one short of Koepka.

A bogey on 9 derailed Burns’ momentum, and although he had great chances on the back nine to add more birdies to his card, he only made one, an 18-footer at the par-5 16th. He knocked his tee shot on the par-3 17th to 10 feet but was tentative with the stroke and missed. He then had another opportunity for birdie at 18, only to barely miss the 17-footer, giving Burns his third consecutive top-10 finish. He tied for ninth in 2024 at Pinehurst.

“I knew it was going to take something really special, and I think I couldn't have asked for a better start,” said Burns, still seeking his first major title. Four under through eight. Just mis-hit the 6-iron on 9 a little and came up short there.

“Then I feel like the back nine was playing difficult. I don't know if the statistics back that up or not, but just trying to get the ball close to some of those hole locations with the wind just felt tough.”

Speaking of tough, it was a rough 2025 for Clark, who struggled handling his emotions when his play wasn’t up to his standards. That included an unfortunate incident at Oakmont for which he has apologized profusely, and he has worked hard to repair the damage it caused to him and those close to him.

Sunday’s final round proved his mental toughness, especially with fans openly rooting against him. Even Scheffler spoke about the unfortunate noise emanating from the gallery.

“I mean, the crowd was tough today,” he said. “Being in the arena is not for everybody, and I think it shows a lot about Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course but the crowd today as well and is a well-deserving champion.”

New York crowds can sometimes be rough, yet Clark routinely overcame any adversity.

“They definitely didn't want me to win,” said Clark of the fans. “It's pretty rare in an Open championship or a major to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots.

“That was tough, but … sometimes being the underdog is nice. I was [one] in '23, and I kind of did the same thing. Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive. You know, some of it is self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself, but I also get it, too. Scottie was going for the career Grand Slam, and it hasn't happened very often. I'm proud of myself that I battled through.”

celebrated with caddie David Pelakoudis, his support group that includes mental coach Julie Elion and girlfriend Emily Tanner, and his father, Randall, a former professional tennis player who took a red-eye from Denver to New York on Saturday night to surprise his son on Father’s Day. Clark saved the biggest hug for his biggest fan. Many know the story of Wyndham’s mom, Lise, the former Miss New Mexico who succumbed to breast cancer 13 years ago.

That made the post-round celebration even sweeter. After tapping in for the victory, he Ten years later, he won his first U.S. Open. Now he has a second.

What the Champion Receives

• Jack Nicklaus Medal
• Custody of the U.S. Open Trophy for a year
• A first-place check for $4.5 million
• Exemptions into the next 10 U.S. Opens
• Invitation to the next five Masters Tournaments; exemptions into the next five Open Championships and PGA Championships
• Named inscribed on the 2026 USGA Champions’ Plaque that will reside in the USGA Museum & Library in Liberty Corner, N.J.

Notable

• The 127th U.S. Open will be contested next year at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links, June 17-20.
  
  
• Low-amateur honors went to both University of Oklahoma rising senior Ryder Cowan and Jackson Koivun, the former Auburn University star playing his final event as an amateur. The two finished at 5-over 285. It’s the first time there were co-low amateurs in the U.S. Open since 2018, when 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matt Parziale and Luis Gagne tied at Shinnecock Hills.
  
  
• Xander Schauffele (T-11) has now produced top-15 finishes in each of his first 10 U.S. Open starts, which is a record. Schauffele won two major titles in 2024.
  
  
• Keith Mitchell became the first competitor since Curtis Strange in the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont to post four consecutive rounds of 70. Oakmont played to a par of 71 that year. Shinnecock Hills is a par-70 layout.
  
  
• Speaking of Mitchell, he and Tom Kim were the two qualifiers to finish inside the top 10 and earn exemptions for the 2027 U.S. Open. Kim finished solo third and Mitchell tied for fourth with Scottie Scheffler and J.T. Poston.
  
  
• The USGA honored Corey Pavin’s 1995 triumph at Shinnecock Hills with a special hole liner on No. 18. Inside was an outline of Pavin with the words “Shot of his life,” an homage to former NBC lead golf analyst Johnny Miller’s famous call of his 4-wood approach shot to the 72nd hole.
  
  
• Peter Uihlein had quite a turnaround on Sunday, posting a 4-under 66 a day after carding an 80. The 14-stroke turnaround from the 2010 U.S. Amateur champion was the biggest difference from Round 3, edging James Nicholas (82-69) by a stroke.
  
  
• Amateur Miles Russell enjoyed a Father’s Day moment with his dad, Joe Russell, on the 18th hole on Sunday, giving him the opportunity to carry his bag to the green after he hit his approach shot. His swing coach, Ramon Bescansa, served as his caddie during the championship. Changing caddies is allowable under the Rules of Golf. Russell, 17 and the youngest player in this week’s field, carded an even-par 70 for a 72-hole total of 7-over 287.
  
  
• Joaquin Niemann finished tied for seventh at 1-over 281, despite posting a first-round 78 that included an 11 on the par-4 sixth (a 9 plus 2-stroke penalty for throwing a club). The Chilean also shot a second-round 65 and a final-round 66.

Quotable

“He's never been there to see me win. Not only that, to finally have him there for a win is amazing, but especially on Father's Day. I know in '23 it was obviously a great Father's Day present for him, but I know he wanted to be there in person. For him to surprise me was amazing, and so I can't wait to spend more time with my dad tonight and celebrating this, because it's not just my win. It's my team. It's John Ellis, who helped get me here; it's Big Wave; it's my agent; it's my swing coaches, my trainers, and then obviously my family.” – Wyndham Clark

“I would say last year at Oakmont I felt more I lost the golf tournament. I certainly don't feel that way today. I think I did my best, and I did everything I could to have a chance to win today. Like I said, I started the day seven shots back. That's very difficult to overcome, especially someone who is playing as well as Wyndham has been playing. That was really the difference today.” – Sam Burns

“Obviously I had to qualify, so I was just very grateful to be here to be able to tee it up. You know, for the first time I was able to really taste a major championship right in front of my fingertips. I can go back this whole week and just see how close I actually am. I'm not going to look at the week of what could have been. I'm going to look at the week where this is my best finish in a major since the British Open in 2023, so a lot of positives.” – Tom Kim

“It's been a wild ride. The 36-hole qualifier [on June 8], I've got to give a shout-out to my buddy Bobby Wyatt (2013 USA Walker Cupper) who caddied for me because my caddie, Brad Schneider, actually qualified for final qualifying. He made it through locals, so he couldn't caddie for me in the sectionals. I shot 3 under the first round and was getting smoked, and he gave me a little putting tip at the turn and shot 8 under the next round. Played good the last two weeks thanks to that.” – Keith Mitchell

“I think [the course] won the battle over me at this point. Looking back on the entire week, I'll obviously rue the back nine yesterday. I got myself to 2 under par for the tournament after nine yesterday, and then the wheels came off. Obviously, was really disappointed coming away from the course last night. You try to come out here today positive and you try to muster up the energy to put a good one in there, but a couple of bogeys on the front nine, I was just trying to race my way to the 18th green.” – Rory McIlroy

“It feels good. It's nice to start to see some results and some good scores with all the work we've been putting in. Obviously, Memorial was a huge validation of that and a huge boost of confidence. Coming into a week like this where you know it's going to be hard and Memorial is very hard, so I felt really good about where my game was. I felt like we were really good about being patient the first three days. Then a little calmer winds out there today I felt like yielded maybe a few more birdies, so we felt like we could try and post a number.” – J.T. Poston after a final-round 67

“It feels very rounded out. Happy with the way I played today, and Ryder [Cowan] is a good friend of mine and just happy with the way it turned out, that we both tied for low am.” – Jackson Koivun, co-low amateur

“It means a lot. It's Father's Day, and it means a lot to me that I have a lot of people up here watching and supporting me. It's a big accomplishment for me…It gives me a lot of confidence to know I can come out here and compete with the best.” – Ryder Cowan, co-low amateur

“It was kind of a fun Father's Day gift. Kind of cool since it was my first [U.S. Open]. Hopefully it's something he'll remember for a long time.” – Miles Russell, 17, on having his father substitute in as his caddie as he approached the green on the 72nd hole

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.