Wyndham Clark took a six-shot lead into Sunday at Shinnecock and did the only thing a player in that situation can do without inviting the kind of post-round questions nobody wants. He played steady, conservative, occasionally brilliant golf, signed for a one-over 71, and walked off the 18th green four clear of Scottie Scheffler with his second US Open trophy in three years. Here is the recap.
The round in three acts
Clark started the day at eight under. He bogeyed the second after finding the right rough and missing an eight-footer for par, gave back another shot at the par-3 seventh where the back-right pin was tucked exactly where every Saturday simulation said it would be, and arrived at the turn at six under with the cushion shrunk to four. Scheffler, in the meantime, had birdied three and eagled the par-5 fifth from a brave second to twelve feet. The tournament, briefly, had a pulse.
The second act lasted from the 10th tee to the 13th green and decided it. Clark hit the fairway on every hole, two-putted three times for par, and rolled in a slippery left-to-right eight-footer at the 13th to get back to seven under. Scheffler missed the green at 11, made bogey, missed an eight-footer for birdie at 12, and the four-shot gap stretched back to five before either player reached the closing stretch. The third act was professional golf at the highest level — Clark playing for the middle of every green from 14 onwards, hitting the par-3 17th to twenty feet, and lagging a careful two-putt par at the 18th to finish at seven under for the championship.
What this means for Clark
Two US Opens in three years. He now sits in a club of fifteen players to have won multiple US Opens, alongside Brooks Koepka, Curtis Strange, and the rest of the names that get printed in the front of the media guide. The pundits who spent the spring arguing about whether the 2023 win at LACC was repeatable do not have a column to write tomorrow. Clark's iron play this week was the best in the field by a clear distance, and his short game, long considered the suspect part of his bag, did not cost him a shot all weekend.
The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale next month suddenly has a different headline player. Clark has a five-year PGA Tour exemption locked in, a ten-year US Open exemption, a guaranteed spot at Augusta through 2031, and a winner's cheque that lands him just inside the season-long FedEx Cup top three. The career trajectory pivots.
Scheffler's day
Scheffler signed for a three-under 67, the lowest round of anyone in the final eight pairings, and lost by four. That sentence is the story of his Sunday. The eagle at five was the shot of the championship until Clark's eagle at 16 on Saturday got promoted back to first place. He did everything a player chasing a six-shot deficit could be expected to do — start fast, stay patient, hole a long putt at the right time — and Clark did not give him an inch.
Scheffler's 2026 is now eight top-fives in fourteen starts, two wins, and zero majors. The Open at Birkdale will be his fourth chance this year. The numbers say he is overdue. The competition, as Clark made very clear this week, is not cooperating.
The chasers
Sahith Theegala finished alone in third at one under, his best major result by a comfortable margin, and walked off 18 to probably the warmest ovation of the day. Xander Schauffele and Emiliano Grillo shared fourth at even par. Matt Fitzpatrick, who started Sunday at even and was paired with Schauffele, stalled out at one over for the championship. Collin Morikawa finished a tied seventh.
Rory McIlroy went out in the third group of the day, shot a three-under 67, climbed eighteen places on the leaderboard, and finished a tied 14th at six over. The career narrative — eleven years now since a major — refuses to break. Royal Birkdale, on a Links course McIlroy has called the most fun stop on the summer rotation, is the next opportunity.
What it means for the rest of 2026
- Clark arrives at Birkdale as a serious favourite for the third time in his career. The PGA at Bellerive in May was his only missed cut among majors this year; the US Open is the one course shape he reads almost too well.
- Scheffler is the world number one with two non-major wins in 2026 and a major drought entering year two. The pressure is not yet existential. It is louder.
- The Tour Championship moves to East Lake again in August. Clark's win pushes him to second in the FedEx Cup standings behind Scheffler, with Theegala jumping into the top ten for the first time.
FAQ
How many US Opens has Wyndham Clark now won? Two — 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club and 2026 at Shinnecock Hills. He becomes one of fifteen multi-time US Open champions in the open era.
What was the winning score? Seven under par (273) over four rounds. The 72-hole scoring average for the field was almost five over par, which makes Clark's number even more impressive.
When is the next major? The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, July 16-19. Clark, Scheffler, McIlroy and the rest of the top names take a three-week break before tournament week.
Where else can I follow today's sports? The World Cup is back tonight with Groups I and J Matchday 2 — France, Argentina and Senegal all in action. See the Scorelisto blog for the Day 12 preview and check today's soccer scores for live tables.