SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Wyndham Clark takes a commanding six-stroke lead into Sunday's final round of the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, positioning himself to win his second major championship and first since the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Clark's Dominant Performance
Clark, 32, opened with rounds of 64 and 69 before Saturday's third round, where he maintained his lead despite a challenging course. He leads the field in putting and has combined a powerful tee-to-green game with exceptional short game execution. “My goal is to just get as many looks as I can with how I'm putting, and hopefully I'm hoisting the trophy tomorrow,” Clark said.
His performance through three rounds recalls Martin Kaymer's wire-to-wire victory at the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, where Kaymer won by eight strokes at nine-under par. Clark has shown no signs of slowing down, but if the wheels wobble, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will be in the final group to capitalize.
Scheffler and the Field
Scheffler, who turns 30 on Sunday, shot a one-under 69 on Saturday, making four birdies on the back nine, including three in a row starting with a chip-in at the 14th hole. “Scottie is the best player in the world, and he's going to play probably really good,” Clark said. “But it's nice to have a six-shot lead on him. I'm just going to keep approaching it the same way.”
Scheffler is tied at one-under with Tom Kim (72), Sahith Theegala (70) and Sam Stevens (72). Emiliano Grillo shot the round of the day, a three-under 67, and is in a group at level par with Xander Schauffele (73), Sam Burns (71) and Scott Mitchell (70).
Shinnecock Hills Bares Its Teeth
The course firmed up significantly on Saturday, with greens dialed to 11 on the stimpmeter, making putting bumpy, especially later in the day. Both Clark and Scheffler missed putts inside five feet on the 18th hole. “The fairways were starting to firm up yesterday. Then the greens today started to firm up,” Scheffler said. “There was a little bit of mystery in terms of how the ball was going to react when it hit the green. That's just part of the challenge of U.S. Open.”
Clark noted the change: “The course changed so much. It was very soft and easier to be more aggressive. The fairways got rock hard, so I was spinning my irons a little bit more.”
Canadian Corey Conners in Contention
The only Canadian to make the cut, Corey Conners, shot a one-over 71 on Saturday to sit tied for 13th at two-over par. He briefly went under par after a birdie at the eighth hole but bogeyed four of his next five. He finished strong with a 357-yard drive and a wedge to inside a foot for a birdie at the 18th. “I hit an awesome drive. You kind of have to take on the left bunker, and I hit a really good one today,” Conners said. “I hit a three-quarter sand wedge. I struck it really well. There's a little bit of guessing involved with the bounce, but I judged it perfectly.”
