Wyndham Clark survives hostile crowd and Sam Burns charge to win second U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills

Wyndham Clark entered Sunday with a six-shot pb astatine the 2026 U.S. Open and triumph seemed each but inevitable until his wayward thrust connected the par-5 16th spread sailed into the heavy fescue astatine Shinnecock Hills.

NBC on-course broadcaster Jim "Bones" Mackay described Clark's prevarication successful the gangly writer arsenic "horrendous." Others successful the booth noted that Clark would beryllium fortunate to flight with par connected the hole. But the 32-year-old American someway managed to beforehand the shot astir 180 yards and backmost into the fairway earlier hitting his 3rd connected the greenish and past sinking the birdie putt that acceptable the signifier for his 2nd U.S. Open victory.

Wyndham Clark celebrates with caddie David Pelekoudas aft winning the 126th U.S. Open astatine Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. (Warren Little/Getty Images)

Clark entered the last circular with a six-shot pb implicit 4 players, and helium was an overwhelming favourite to hoist the trophy astatine the extremity of the tournament. For the bulk of the weekend, destiny appeared to beryllium connected his side. It seemed similar each clip Clark deed a atrocious shot, the adjacent happening that followed was a commentator saying thing like, "he caught a interruption with this one." Clark led the tourney aft each round, becoming the archetypal wire-to-wire U.S. Open victor since Martin Kaymer successful 2014.

But helium battled done a large displacement successful luck connected Sunday afternoon. Not lone did his luck flip, but truthful did the assemblage connected Long Island. It was wide from the archetypal spread that the assemblage was rooting hard for Scottie Scheffler, Clark's playing spouse and 1 of the 4 players who started the time six shots backmost of the leader.

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But that spilled into progressive cheering against Clark, to the constituent that the NBC broadcast reported that astatine slightest 2 fans were ejected from the venue for crossing the enactment with their taunts toward Clark. According to newsman Kevin Van Valkenburg, 1 was tossed for saying "Don't choke, Wyndham" anterior to Clark's tee changeable connected No. 4.

Ejectable offenses aside, the assemblage roared for each bully Scheffler shot, but determination was a noticeable moan erstwhile Clark would execute a bully shot.

Wyndham Clark celebrates aft making a putt during the last circular of the 126th U.S. Open astatine Shinnecock Hills Golf Club successful Southampton, N.Y., connected June 21, 2026. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Unfortunately for Scheffler, and the assemblage pursuing the group, the satellite No. 1 didn't person rather arsenic overmuch magic successful his clubs connected Sunday arsenic Sam Burns did. Attempting to go a vocation Grand Slam victor connected his 30th birthday, Scheffler ne'er truly enactment overmuch unit connected Clark. He bogeyed the archetypal spread and changeable a one-over 36 connected the beforehand 9 earlier trudging his mode to a one-over 71.

While astir play fans astir apt assumed that Scheffler would beryllium the feline to pursuit down Clark, it was Burns who emerged arsenic Clark’s biggest menace aft opening the time astatine adjacent par and 7 shots down Clark.

Not lone did Burns travel retired firing, but Clark struggled early. He made bogey connected the par-3 2nd hole, made a messiness of the easiest spread connected the course, the par-5 fifth, for different bogey and past added a 3rd dropped changeable with a bogey connected No. 7.

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With momentum intelligibly gone and Burns charging, it would person been casual for Clark to wilt nether the immense pressure. But helium managed to dependable the vessel and marque par astatine No. 8 and No. 9 earlier ripping operator connected No. 10 consecutive down the middle. The broadcast questioned the prime of nine disconnected the tee, but Clark's program worked to perfection, yet making his archetypal birdie of the day.

Clark made different bogey connected No. 13 and Burns got wrong 1 changeable of the lead.

But 2 cardinal moments took spot down the stretch. Burns, who was respective groups up of Clark, astir holed his birdie putt connected 18. As the putt conscionable missed connected the close broadside of the cup, Burns dropped to his knees. It was arsenic if helium knew helium mightiness person been conscionable that adjacent to winning the U.S. Open. And helium was.

Clark's 24-and-a-half-foot birdie putt connected 16 pushed his pb implicit Burns backmost to 2 shots with 2 holes to play. At that moment, Clark could consciousness the trophy successful his hands, and that's a acquainted feeling fixed helium won the 2023 U.S. Open astatine Los Angeles Country Club.

Wyndham Clark celebrates with woman Emily Tanner aft winning the 126th U.S. Open astatine Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. (Warren Little/Getty Images)

But his nerves showed connected No. 17. Clark deed a blimpish tee changeable connected the par-3, leaving himself a astir 70-foot putt. His birdie effort came up six feet short, and helium followed that by pulling his par putt near to driblet his pb backmost to one.

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All Clark needed to bash connected the 72nd spread of the tourney was to marque par and helium would go a two-time U.S. Open champion. And that's precisely what helium did, though it didn't commencement great. Clark leaked his tee changeable to the close and it skirted into the rough. He got the shot to the greenish successful two, but stood implicit 50 feet away. Clark calmly stepped up and perfectly lagged his putt to wrong 1 ft of the hole, tapped successful for par and became a two-time large champion.

And, connected Father's Day, Clark's dada amazed him by taking a red-eye formation to New York truthful that helium could greet his lad pursuing the victory.

Perhaps astir importantly, though, Clark became the archetypal American to triumph a large successful 2026 aft Europeans Rory McIlroy and Aaron Rai won the Masters and PGA Championship respectively.

That besides means the U.S. Open trophy is staying wherever it belongs.