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Wyndham Clark started Sunday tied for the lead, and he finished as U.S. Open champion.
Clark held off a strong challenge from one of the best golfers in the world in Rory McIlroy to win the first major championship of his career at the Los Angeles Country Club.
Clark previously missed the cut in the other two U.S. Open tournaments he played. He finished tied for 75th at the 2021 PGA Championship and tied for 76th at The Open Championship last year.
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Wyndham Clark reacts after missing a putt on the seventh hole during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday, June 18, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
It was Clark’s second tournament win of the season. He won the Wells Fargo Championship in May, holding off Xander Schauffele by four strokes. He lost the 2020 Bermuda Championship in a playoff against Brian Gay.
Only up one stroke on the 18th, Clark had a decent approach on his tee shot. He made the green on his second, and on his third, he got within a few feet of the cup. He would save par and start the celebrations.
Clark was 10-under for the tournament.
McIlroy was on Clark’s tail the entire fourth round, but a crucial shot on 14th gave Clark some distance. McIlroy hit a shot into the rough part of the bunker and was given a free drop. He had an opportunity to salvage par but missed a putt and dropped two strokes behind Clark. It was McIlroy’s first bogey.
Clark’s tee shot on 14 landed on the green. He would birdie the hole and move three strokes ahead of McIlroy as the two leaders came down the stretch.
Clark got caught up on the ninth hole earlier in the round but managed to save par and keep a one-stroke lead over McIlroy as he went to the back nine. He would bogey 15, which kept the door open for McIlroy – just in case.
He bogeyed the 16th hole, and McIlroy made par on 17 to stay within one stroke of the leader. McIlroy nearly birdied on 18 but would eventually make par. He had one birdie and one bogey for a final-round 70. He finished 9-under par for the tournament.
Rory McIlroy reacts after missing a putt on the first hole during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday, June 18, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio J. Sanchez)
GORDON SARGENT WRAPS FIRST US OPEN APPEARANCE WITH UNUSUAL PUTTING ISSUE ON 18
Rickie Fowler started the U.S. Open with a tournament record 62 and hung with the leaders throughout the rest of the tournament. His 68 in Round 2 and 70 in Round 3 had him tied to start the final round, but he ended up playing catch-up as he tried to challenge McIlroy for second. Four bogeys on the back nine hurt his chances for a second-place finish. He finished 5-under for the tournament.
Fowler finished tied for second at the U.S. Open in 2014.
Scottie Scheffler was vying at the top. He finished 7-under with a final-round 70. He had three birdies on his final round, but it was the three bogeys that really hurt him over the course of the last 18 holes.
Tommy Fleetwood made an incredible run in the final round. He shot a fourth-round 63 and moved up 32 spots as he waited for the rest of the leaders to return to the clubhouse. The Englishman was a runner-up at the U.S. Open in 2018. He was also a runner-up in the 2019 Open Championship. He is still without a major championship under his belt, but things appear to be looking up for him.
Wyndham Clark reacts to his putt on the 13th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 18, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Min Woo Lee finished with a fourth-round 67 to end the U.S. Open. He was making only his second U.S. Open appearance of his career and finished tied with Fleetwood at 5-under.
Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Bryson DeChambeau were among those who fell off the lead over the course of the tournament. Rahm was 3-under par for the tournament. Morikawa was 2-under, Koepka and Fitzpatrick were 1-under and DeChambeau was 1-over.
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The Open Championship is the final major of the golf season. The tournament begins July 20.