Moving Day at Shinnecock Hills usually means the leaderboard compresses, the leader sweats, and four under par becomes the afternoon's most stressful number. This year, somebody might want to tell Wyndham Clark. The 2023 champion fired a second-round 64 on a course that fought back, opened a four-shot lead, and now tees off at 3:45 ET on Saturday in the final pairing with Matt Fitzpatrick. Here is what Round 3 sets up to be.
How Clark built the lead
Friday was supposed to be the wind day. Forecast models had a steady south-southwesterly all afternoon and a US Open scoring average heading north of par. Clark, paired with Sam Stevens and Jon Rahm in the marquee morning group, ignored it. Eight birdies, one bogey, and a putter that decided every six-footer was going in. The 64 tied the lowest round of the championship and pushed him to seven under for the tournament — the largest 36-hole lead at a US Open since 2011.
The shot of the round was Clark's approach into the par-4 10th. From a wet fairway lie with the ball below his feet, he flighted a 7-iron under the wind to four feet. Two hours later the same hole was averaging bogey-and-a-half. That is the gap between him and the field at the moment.
The chasers
Matt Fitzpatrick is the closest of them. The 2022 US Open champion has been quietly excellent all year and posted a 70-70 to sit at three under. His US Open record — top fives when in form, never far off when not — makes him the threat most worth taking seriously. He is also a Shinnecock specialist. His 2022 win at The Country Club was a green-reading clinic and the geometry of these greens will reward the same skill.
Xander Schauffele's Friday 66 was the kind of round that changes a tournament. Five birdies, no bogeys, and a back nine where he simply did not miss a green. Tom Kim is the surprise name — a third-round Saturday in the penultimate group is new territory for him at a major, but he held it together remarkably well in Round 2 after a wobbly opening.
Behind them: Collin Morikawa shot a Friday 65 from nowhere to climb into solo fifth. Scottie Scheffler is at one under after a steady 71. Rory McIlroy hit the cut number exactly on the screws and tees off Saturday morning, eight back, needing a career-best Shinnecock round to be relevant on Sunday. The board is loaded.
The Shinnecock factor on a Saturday
The forecast for Round 3 is the friendliest weather window of the week — gentle morning conditions, slightly more breeze after lunch, no rain in the cells. That sets up a scenario where the early morning starters could post numbers that look frighteningly low by the time Clark tees off, and the leader spends his warm-up watching the board change.
That is the Shinnecock test as much as anything else. The afternoon wind affects approach shots far more than it affects tee balls, and the firmness of the greens — which the USGA has left at speed for the weekend — means everyone is playing for fat parts of putting surfaces, not pin positions. Whoever decides to keep attacking will either close it out or make a double bogey, and the latter is far more common at this course.
Tee time anchors and pairings to know
- 3:45 ET — Clark and Fitzpatrick. The final group, paired by leaderboard. NBC stays on them.
- 3:34 ET — Schauffele and Tom Kim. The penultimate group is the contender pair.
- 3:23 ET — Morikawa and Scheffler. A blockbuster two-ball that should not be in the third-from-last group, but here we are.
- 9:00 ET — first tee. Dylan Wu and Jacob Bridgeman open the day.
How to watch
USA Network has Saturday morning coverage starting at 11 am ET. NBC takes over for the prime-time window when the leaders tee off. Peacock streams every group across all four rounds, with featured-group coverage that follows the final pairing shot by shot from the moment they walk to the first tee.
For everything else on the calendar — the World Cup is back with three Matchday 2 games on Saturday — keep an eye on the Scorelisto blog for previews and recaps throughout the weekend.
FAQ
Has anyone won the US Open from a 36-hole lead of four or more? Yes, but not often. Wire-to-wire majors are rare. The most recent on this scale was Brooks Koepka at Shinnecock in 2018, and he led by only one shot at this stage.
What did the cut land at? +4. Seventy-two players advanced to the weekend.
Is Rory McIlroy mathematically alive? He's eight shots back. Mathematically alive, realistically needing a Saturday in the low 60s to put any pressure on the leaderboard.
When does Round 3 finish? Last group is scheduled in around 8:30 pm ET. Round 4 pairings drop overnight and Sunday morning's TV window opens at 9 am ET.