The last man many believed would be standing atop a star-studded US Open leaderboard was the last man standing at Los Angeles Country Club.
That man was Wyndham Clark, who shot a final-round 70 to outlast Rory McIlroy by a shot. The 29-year-old Clark two-putted for par from 60 feet on the 72nd hole and unleashed tears and threw his hands in the air in relief. He shot 64-67-69-70 for a 10-under 270 total.
“I’ve dreamed about this moment for so long,” Clark said. “I feel like it was my time.”
It’s not a surprise that Clark’s name wasn’t mentioned much earlier in the week. After all, he was only playing in his seventh major championship and had missed four cuts. His best finish in the game’s biggest events was a tie for 75th place. He wasn’t eligible for the Masters two months ago. Last month he shot eight-over in two days to easily miss the cut at the PGA Championship. And this time, at the 123rd US Open, Clark was atop the leaderboard to start the final round, tied with Rickie Fowler and ahead of world No.3 McIlroy and world No.1 Scottie Scheffler.
Clark, who won his first PGA Tour title last month at the Wells Fargo Championship, remained steady as all of his foes faltered one-by-one.
First it was Fowler, who was looking for his first major title and first PGA Tour win in more than four years. He bogeyed three of the first seven holes and was never in contention again. He shot 75 and dropped into a tie for fifth place. Scheffler started the day three shots behind and shot an even-par 70. He finished third but never made a serious run to catch Clark.
McIlroy was looking for his fifth major title and first in nine years. With six holes remaining he and Clark were the only two men with a chance to win. But an untimely bogey on the par-5 14th hole via a wedge short of the green put McIlroy in too much of a hole and four pars to finish the day with his third runner-up finish in a major.
“Didn’t quite get the job done,” McIlroy said. “But I’m going to keep coming back until I get another one.”
While McIlroy continues to search for another one, Clark will be celebrating this one, a hard-earned victory after leading most of the day.
Clark made a good bogey on the par-5 eighth hole after ‘whiffing’ a chip shot in the thick fescue guarding the green. On the next hole he pulled off a sensational up and down for par to make the turn at 11-under and a one-shot lead over McIlroy.
While McIlroy made bogey on the 14th hole, Clark was standing in the fairway, 255 metres away. He hit his second shot on the par 5 to 20 feet and two putted for birdie to lead by three shots. Bogeys from Clark on 15 and 16 made the lead only one, but pars on the last two holes, including the aforementioned two-putt from 60 feet for par on the last, did the trick.
Australia’s Cameron Smith shot a final-round 67 to jump up to fourth place, four shots behind Clark. Tommy Fleetwood, a week after losing the RBC Canadian Open in a playoff to Nick Taylor, shot 63 to tie for fifth place with Fowler and Min Woo Lee. Gordon Sargent, who just completed his sophomore season at Vanderbilt, tied for 39th place to collect low amateur honours.
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