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Wyndham Clark started with a shared lead on Sunday and finished as US Open champion.
Clark held off a strong challenge from one of the best golfers in the world, 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 US Open tournaments he played. He 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 US 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 one stroke up on the 18th, Clark had a decent approach on his tee. He made the green on his second and on his third he came within a few yards of the cup. He would save couples and start the festivities.
Clark was 10-under for the tournament.
McIlroy was on Clark’s heels throughout the fourth round, but a crucial shot at 14th put Clark some distance. McIlroy hit a shot into the rough part of the bunker and got a free drop. He had a chance to save 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 be 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 maintain a one-stroke lead over McIlroy as he moved to the back nine. He would bogey 15, which kept the door open for McIlroy – just in case.
He made a bogey on the 16th hole and McIlroy made par on 17 to stay within one stroke of the leader. McIlroy almost made a birdie on 18, but would eventually make par. He had one birdie and one bogey for a final round of 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 US Open golf tournament at Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday, June 18, 2023 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio J. Sanchez)
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Rickie Fowler started the US Open with a tournament record 62 and hung with the leaders for the rest of the tournament. His 68 in round 2 and 70 in round 3 tied him to start the final round, but he eventually played catch up as he tried to challenge McIlroy for second. Four bogeys off the back nine detracted from his chances of a second-place finish. He finished 5-under for the tournament.
Fowler tied for second place at the 2014 US Open.
Scottie Scheffler competed at the top. He finished 7-under with a final round of 70. He had three birdies in 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 on the last lap. He shot a fourth round with 63 and moved up 32 places as he waited for the rest of the leaders to return to the clubhouse. The Englishman was runner-up at the 2018 US Open. He was also runner-up at the 2019 Open Championship. He still doesn’t have a major championship to his name, but things are looking good for him.
Wyndham Clark of the United States reacts to his putt on the 13th green during the final round of the 123rd US Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Min Woo Lee finished with a fourth-round 67 to end the US Open. He made only his second career US Open appearance, finishing tied with Fleetwood at 5-under.
Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Bryson DeChambeau were among those who fell from 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 starts on July 20.
Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
