Wyndham Clark walked off the 18th green at Shinnecock Hills to find his father Randall waiting for him – a surprise after the Denver golfer had just held off Sam Burns to win his second US Open in four years. Tears followed. “That was a shock,” Clark said on NBC. “My dad hasn’t been to many events. For him to be there in person is amazing.” Randall had taken a red-eye flight overnight to be with his son on Father's Day.
But the emotional moment belied the hostility Clark faced all afternoon from a crowd that had openly rooted for his playing partner, world No.1 Scottie Scheffler. When Clark’s mistakes were cheered, local police intervened and ejected a couple of individuals. “New York really didn’t like me,” Clark admitted after his round of 73 gave him a one-shot victory over Ryder Cup team-mate Burns. “Some of it is self-deserved – I’m still sorry for last year.”
“Wyndham Clark wins second US Open, beating Sam Burns after hostile New York crowd and a surprise visit from his father.”
Twelve months ago, Clark missed the cut at Oakmont, smashed up a locker in the historic clubhouse and was subsequently banned by the club. He later apologised, paid for the damage, made a “meaningful contribution to a charity of the board’s choosing” and underwent anger management. The memory was fresh as he stepped onto the first tee with a six-shot lead – the largest 54-hole advantage in the event since Mike Brady’s five-shot lead in 1919.
Clark dominated through three days, but his aura quickly evaporated on the front nine as he played it three over par. Burns, starting at level par, tore through the same stretch three under, bagging birdies at the first, second and fifth holes. The gap shrank to two shots. Clark found fairway bunkers and cart paths; his tee shot at the 255-yard par-three second dragged forty yards wide. The bad news kept coming as roars confirmed Burns’s third birdie, a putt from outside 25 feet on the fifth.
But Clark rallied. A stunning 24-foot birdie from off the back of the 16th green restored a cushion, though he three-putted the 17th to fall back to four under. He parred the last, and when Burns’s birdie putt at the 18th grazed the hole, the title was secure. “The first one (in 2023) was a breakthrough knowing I could do it,” Clark said. “This one was redemption.”
Scheffler, chasing a career grand slam on his 30th birthday, never got going, shooting a one-over 71 to tie for fourth. Rory McIlroy began 10 shots back and accepted his chance was “tiny”, finishing six over after a second consecutive 73. The top European was Tyrrell Hatton. Clark’s $4.5m cheque and wire-to-wire victory – the first since Martin Kaymer in 2014 – made him only the ninth man to achieve the feat. “I get it, they root for Scottie,” Clark said of the crowd. “But today is my day.”