Wyndham Clark goes wire-to-wire to win U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills
Wyndham Clark celebrates his win of the 126th U.S, Open Championship on Sunday, June 21, 2026 in Southampton Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
Everything was lined up for this, the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, to be a Wyndham Clark Coronation.
He led by multiple shots after each of the first three rounds, that lead a staggering six entering Sunday’s final round, and history certainly was on his side. Twenty-one players had entered the final round of a major championship with a lead of at least six shots, and only one lost (sorry, Greg Norman, who blew a six-shot lead at the 1996 Masters and lost by five).
But history books could be tossed aside. This was never going to be easy.
There was the pressure of being in the final pairing with Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 golfer who was amid his first crack at the career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday. There was the mostly anti-Clark Long Island crowd, at times classless though not quite as vicious toward Clark as it was to Rory McIlroy during last September’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. And though Scheffler never ascended as a true threat to Clark, Sam Burns – who ended his round three groups earlier as the clubhouse leader at 3-under par – was lurking.
Clark played nowhere near perfect Sunday – he shot a 3-over-par 73 – but he avoided an all-time collapse by showing the gumption needed to win arguably the toughest test in golf. All he needed when he reached the 18th green was a two-putt from 52 feet. The 32-year-old Colorado native didn’t break a sweat, putting the first putt within nine inches of the hole before tapping in to win his second U.S. Open. Clark finished 4 under in a wire-to-wire victory, one ahead of Burns and three ahead of Tom Kim, the only other player under par for the week.
“I played some ugly golf the last two days, but my putter and short game kind of kept me in it,” Clark said to NBC’s Mike Tirico after the trophy presentation. “Yeah, I mean, 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.”
Clark’s only other major championship title, the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, also ended with a successful two-putt from 60 feet and a one-shot margin (over runner-up McIlroy).
In the 125 U.S. Opens before Clark’s victory, there had been only eight wire-to-wire winners (and only seven golfers, as Tiger Woods achieved the feat twice). It was the first wire-to-wire victory in a major since the 2019 PGA Championship, when Brooks Koepka won by two shots at Bethpage Black.
After Clark missed the cut in last year’s U.S. Open at Pennsylvania’s Oakmont Country Club, he destroyed two lockers in the clubhouse and subsequently was banned from Oakmont. If it isn’t the sole reason why the Long Island fans weren’t completely behind him, it absolutely played into it. He has been remorseful since, but the backlash remains a consequence of his own actions.
He said Sunday he was in a “really negative, dark place” after the Oakmont incident and this year’s win provided “some redemption.”
Clark dealt with constant chirps of “get in the bunker!” from fans, contrary to the typical “get in the hole!” you hear, as well as cheers when his shots would roll off greens. One fan near the fourth tee was escorted out by security after yelling: “Don’t choke Wyndham!”
“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 I think the crowd today as well and is a well-deserving champion,” said Scheffler, who posted a 1-over 71 Sunday to finish even-par for the tournament.
Said Clark: “Yeah, New York didn't really like me. I love you guys. But 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 I get it; they were rooting for Scottie. Grand Slams only happen a few times. He's going to get it. He's the best player in the world.
“But today it's my day.”
His day, it was.
While many holes defined Clark’s day, none did more than the 16th. The 623-yard par-5 hole had been a mixed bag for him with a par, bogey and eagle in his first three rounds. His drive landed way left in the fescue, and Burns already had entered the clubhouse.
If the situation wasn’t high stakes enough, Burns’ 17-foot putt for the co-lead on 18 had missed by a mere four inches. Clark, of course, wasn’t watching Burns as he flung his putter and fell in disbelief, but it was an obvious break.
From the 16th fescue, Clark managed to carry the bunker and reach the fairway. His ensuing approach shot landed about 24 feet from the hole, and an unlikely birdie extended his lead to three.
“That was one of the pivotal points of the tournament,” he said.
Clark did bogey the par-3 17th, missing an 8 1/2-foot par putt to add just a bit more pressure on the 18th.
But once he had his crowning moment, a surprise awaited: his dad, Randall, hopped on a red-eye from Denver to be there.
“Well, that was a shock,” he said. “My dad hasn't been to many events, and '23 he wasn't there, which was really unfortunate. For him to be here in person is amazing. Happy Father's Day, Pops. I love you so much. I'm just glad we could share this together.”
It was quite the gift.
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
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