Wyndham Clark has Shinnecock Hills in a stranglehold. The defending US Open champion carved out a commanding six-stroke advantage after Saturday’s windswept third round, standing on seven-under 203 whilst world number one Scottie Scheffler launched a birthday charge that has Sunday’s finale firmly in his sights.
Clark weathered the storm, both literal and metaphorical, carding a gutsy level-par 70 in brutal conditions that chewed up and spat out most of the field. His four-foot eagle putt at the par-five 16th was the shot of substance, a moment of brilliance amidst the chaos that extended his overnight lead by two strokes despite a closing three-putt bogey at 18.
“It was a tale of two people,” Clark admitted. “I’d hit great shots and then I’d hit one of the worst shots and make dumb mistakes. Then I’d recover and make great putts or chips. The fact I increased my lead is a huge thing, so overall satisfied.”
History whispers caution. Only one golfer has ever surrendered a major championship with a six-stroke lead entering the final round, Greg Norman’s infamous collapse at the 1996 Masters remains golf’s most painful Sunday.
Scheffler’s birthday charge
Scheffler would complete the career Grand Slam with victory on Sunday, which happens to be his 30th birthday. The top-ranked American fired one of just two sub-par rounds on the day, a superb 69, to claim a share of second on one-under 209.
“It would be special,” Scheffler said. “This tournament means so much to me. All I can do is go out there and try and execute.”
His round started ominously with consecutive opening bogeys, only the fourth time in 105 major rounds he’s stumbled out of the blocks so poorly. But Scheffler dug deep on the back nine, rattling off four birdies in his first seven holes. The highlight? A sensational 65-foot chip-in at the 14th that prompted a rare fist pump.
“At that point over par for the tournament, you can feel like it’s slipping away,” Scheffler said. “To steal one there was really nice.”
He followed with birdies at 15 and 16, his longest streak in US Open history, before dropping a shot at 17.
The chasing pack
Joining Scheffler at 209 are fellow Americans Sam Stevens and Sahith Theegala, plus South Korean Tom Kim. Theegala’s tap-in at 18 was his only birdie of a grinding day.
“This was one of the biggest tests of patience I’ve ever had in a single round in my life,” Theegala said. “It was a grind.”
Not since Lee Janzen in 1998 has a US Open winner rallied from more than four strokes back after 54 holes. Scheffler and company face a monumental task.
Rory McIlroy’s title defence effectively ended with a back-nine collapse, five bogeys derailing what had been a promising start. The six-time major winner stands 10 adrift on 213.
Whipping winds combined with dense rough and devilish pin positions to make Shinnecock an absolute brute. Players are chasing a record $4.5 million first prize from a $22.5 million purse.
Sunday brings the reckoning. Can Clark close the deal, or will Scheffler produce the birthday miracle?
