Wyndham Clark chases another US Open title barring another Sunday surprise at Shinnecock

The other winner might be the USGA.

The toughest test in golf became too tough the last two U.S. Opens at Shinnecock Hills, the Long Island course where the the turf can go from soft to dry in a New York minute because of wind and sun and the sandy soil on which it was built.

It was so out of control in 2004 that no one broke par on the final day. The next time in 2018, some of the greens became borderline unplayable late in the afternoon and caused more chaos. That remains the last U.S. Open with a winning score over par.

This week has gone according to plan. John Bodenhamer, the chief competitions officer for the USGA, had wanted to go easy at the start and allow a natural progression of being tougher.

Clark, who won the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023, didn't make it look that way. He has set a Shinnecock scoring record after each round with extraordinary golf, from making long putts to a sublime short game and one majestic 3-wood to make the only eagle all week at the par-5 16th.

He was at 7-under 203.

Throw out that performance, and only four other players were at 1-under par, with four others behind them at even par.

All that was left was 18 holes to determine if Clark could hold on to become the first wire-to-wire U.S. Open champion since Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014, or if Scottie Scheffler could stage a rally on his 30th birthday to win the career Grand Slam.

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