The last man many believed would be standing atop a star-studded U.S. Open leaderboard heading into the final round was the last man standing late Sunday 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. Afterall, 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 here, at the 123rd U.S. 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.
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 back and shot even-par 70. He finished third but never made a serious run to catch Clark.
“I just didn’t have it today,” Fowler said. “Iron play was very below average and didn’t make anything.”
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 total and a one-shot lead over McIlroy.
While McIlroy made bogey on the 14th hole, Clark was standing in the fairway, 282 yards away. He hit his second shot on the par-5 to 20 feet and two putted for par 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.
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 honors.