Wyndham Clark spent Saturday at Shinnecock doing the unglamorous work of a man who has decided he is going to win a US Open by double digits. An even-par 70 in trickier afternoon conditions, one eagle, no doubles, and a six-shot cushion that the chasers spent four hours failing to close. He takes an eight-under total into Sunday's final round and a final-pairing date with Scottie Scheffler. Here is the Round 4 preview.
How Saturday became a coronation
The leaderboard didn't move because Shinnecock didn't let it. Only two players in the field broke par on Saturday — Emiliano Grillo with a 67 from way down the board and Scheffler with a patient 69 in the second-to-last group. Everybody else who tried to attack the course got punished by the firmness on the greens and the cross-wind that turned every back-nine approach into a guessing game. Clark, paired with Matt Fitzpatrick, made one actual move all day: a draw off the tee at the par-5 16th, a long iron into four feet, and the kick-in eagle that pushed his lead from four to six.
It is the type of round US Open champions tend to post on Saturday. Nobody remembers an even-par 70 at the end of the week the way they remember a Friday 64. But Saturday's 70 is the one that wins the trophy when the chasers cannot get to red numbers fast enough to apply pressure.
The Scheffler problem
The math on a six-shot lead with one round to play is not complicated. Since 1970, every US Open leader with a 54-hole advantage of five or more has closed it out. That is a brutally one-sided historical sample. But Scottie Scheffler is the one name in modern golf that nudges that math even slightly. His final-round scoring average this season is better than Clark's by close to a full shot, his Shinnecock ball-striking numbers are the best in the field, and his Saturday 69 was the round of someone clearly building toward a Sunday charge rather than chasing on it.
For Scheffler to make it interesting, two things have to happen. He has to get to six or seven under by the turn — which means a front-nine 31 or 32 on a course where the average front-nine score Saturday was 36 — and Clark has to give back two shots in the same window. Possible. Plausible only because of who is chasing.
The rest of the chase
Emiliano Grillo's 67 was the round of the day and tucks him into a tie for second with Scheffler at two under. He has won on Tour, he has finished top-ten at majors, and he is the most out-of-nowhere story of the weekend. Sahith Theegala birdied the last to grab the penultimate-group spot at one under, paired with Grillo. Behind them, Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele are tied at even par — both quietly within reach if Clark stumbles early and Scheffler doesn't run away with second.
Collin Morikawa is at plus one. Tom Kim at plus two. Rory McIlroy, who entered the weekend eight back, made the turn Sunday morning eleven back and now needs the kind of round that ends careers — his own, even. He'll tee off mid-morning with nothing to lose and the camera following him anyway.
Sunday weather and the Shinnecock test
The forecast for the final round is the gentlest window of the week — light morning breeze, building to 12 to 14 mph south-southwest by mid-afternoon, no rain. That sets up a scoring opportunity for the early starters and a closing stretch where the leaders play into the wind on 15, 16 and 17. Anybody making a run will need to do it before the turn, because the back nine at Shinnecock with a building wind is no place to be hunting birdies you needed three holes earlier.
The pin sheet for Round 4 leaked overnight and shows the USGA tucking holes the way they did in 2018 — back-right on the par-3 7th, front-left on 14, and the 18th green in a position that makes anything left of pin essentially un-puttable. Sunday won't be easy. It will be Shinnecock.
Tee time anchors and pairings to know
- 2:30 ET — Clark and Scheffler. The final group. NBC stays on them gate to grave.
- 2:19 ET — Grillo and Theegala. The contender pair. If Scheffler doesn't fire early, this is the group that needs to.
- 2:08 ET — Fitzpatrick and Schauffele. Two former major champions paired together. Either could shoot 65 and back into a top three.
- 9:30 ET — first tee. Coverage starts on USA Network at 11 am ET; NBC takes over at 2 pm ET.
How to watch
USA Network has morning coverage from 11 am ET. NBC picks up the broadcast at 2 pm ET and stays until the trophy is on the 18th green. Peacock streams every group with a featured-pair camera that locks onto Clark and Scheffler from the moment they step onto the first tee. International viewers in the UK get the full Sky Sports Golf window from 4 pm BST.
If golf isn't your Sunday — the World Cup has four Matchday 2 games on the slate including Spain and Belgium — keep an eye on the Scorelisto blog or check our soccer scores hub for live tables across the rest of the day.
FAQ
Has anyone ever blown a six-shot 54-hole US Open lead? No. Every US Open leader since 1970 with a five-shot lead or larger has gone on to win. The closest call was Hale Irwin in 1979, who shrank a five-shot lead to two before steadying.
Could Scheffler still win this? Mathematically yes, realistically only with a Sunday 64 and Clark giving back three shots. Both halves of that equation are improbable. Both together are very improbable. Not zero.
What does Clark win for finishing first? A replica of the US Open trophy, a five-year PGA Tour exemption, a ten-year US Open exemption, and a winner's cheque expected to be in the region of $4.3 million.
When will the trophy be presented? Final group is scheduled to finish around 7 pm ET. Presentation ceremony immediately after on the 18th green.