The U.S. Open has a new champion. After four days of exciting golf, American Wyndham Clark emerged at the top, winning the tournament by one shot.
Clark edged out the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler to capture his first career major.
Nothing pointed out that Clark had this kind of run in him. Back in 2022, he was the 293rd player on the Official World Golf Ranking list, and he never finished better than tie for 75th in the majors. Also, he was cut on both of his previous U.S. Open appearances.
“I feel like I belong on this stage, and even two, three years ago, when people didn’t know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world,” Clark said of his win. “I felt like I’ve shown that this year.”
The first round of this year’s U.S. Open saw Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele tie for the lead with -8 to par. They set the lowest rounds in U.S. Open history and tied for the lowest round in any major. At that point, Wyndham Clark was tied for third with -6 to par.
Fowler kept his lead in the second round to finish -10 to par, while Clark jumped to second place, being just one shot behind. Clark tied Fowler at -10 in the third round, setting up a thrilling final round.
Clark kept his cool under pressure, shooting an even-par 70 to keep his lead intact compared to the rest of the field. Fowler bogeyed three times in the first seven holes and never recovered. He dropped down to -5 to par, finishing the tournament tied for fifth. McIlroy (-9) and Scheffler (-8) finished second and third respectively.
