Wyndham Clark entered Sunday with a six-shot lead at the 2026 U.S. Open and victory seemed all but inevitable until his wayward drive on the par-5 16th hole sailed into the thick fescue at Shinnecock Hills.NBC on-course broadcaster Jim “Bones” Mackay described Clark’s lie in the tall grass as “horrendous.” Others in the booth noted that Clark would be lucky to escape with par on the hole. But the 32-year-old American somehow managed to advance the ball nearly 180 yards and back into the fairway before hitting his third on the green and then sinking the birdie putt that set the stage for his second U.S. Open victory.Clark entered the final round with a six-shot lead over four players, and he was an overwhelming favorite to hoist the trophy at the end of the tournament. For the majority of the weekend, fate appeared to be on his side. It seemed like every time Clark hit a bad shot, the next thing that followed was a commentator saying something like, “he caught a break with this one.” Clark led the tournament after each round, becoming the first wire-to-wire U.S. Open winner since Martin Kaymer in 2014.But he battled through a major shift in luck on Sunday afternoon. Not only did his luck flip, but so did the crowd on Long Island. It was clear from the first hole that the gallery was rooting hard for Scottie Scheffler, Clark’s playing partner and one of the four players who started the day six shots back of the leader.THE SIMPLE AND FRUSTRATING REASON THERE ARE VERY FEW FANS AT THE US OPEN AT SHINNECOCK HILLSBut that spilled into active cheering against Clark, to the point that the NBC broadcast reported that at least two fans were ejected from the venue for crossing the line with their taunts toward Clark. According to reporter Kevin Van Valkenburg, one was tossed for saying “Don’t choke, Wyndham” prior to Clark’s tee shot on No. 4.Ejectable offenses aside, the crowd roared for every good Scheffler shot, but there was a noticeable moan when Clark would execute a good shot.Unfortunately for Scheffler, and the crowd following the group, the world No. 1 didn’t have quite as much magic in his clubs on Sunday as Sam Burns did. Attempting to become a career Grand Slam winner on his 30th birthday, Scheffler never really put much pressure on Clark. He bogeyed the first hole and shot a one-over 36 on the front nine before trudging his way to a one-over 71.While most golf fans probably assumed that Scheffler would be the guy to chase down Clark, it was Burns who emerged as Clark’s biggest threat after beginning the day at even par and seven shots behind Clark.Not only did Burns come out firing, but Clark struggled early. He made bogey on the par-3 second hole, made a mess of the easiest hole on the course, the par-5 fifth, for another bogey and then added a third dropped shot with a bogey on No. 7.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEWith momentum clearly gone and Burns charging, it would have been easy for Clark to wilt under the immense pressure.
Wyndham Clark survives hostile crowd and Sam Burns charge to win second US Open at Shinnecock Hills
