SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — A yr in the past, Windham Clark needed to apologize for breaking a 121-year-old locker at Oakmont Nation Membership after lacking out on the U.S. Open.
Clark did not depart any marks at Lengthy Island’s Sinek Hills Golf Membership this week, however he actually made one by clinching his second U.S. Open title on Sunday, holding on for a one-stroke victory after practically erasing a six-shot lead within the closing spherical.
Clark completed the ultimate spherical with a 3-over 73 to turn into the ninth wire-to-wire winner on the U.S. Open, however his lead was reduce to only one stroke into Sunday’s closing spherical. However after Sam Burns narrowly missed birdie putts on the seventeenth and 18th holes earlier, Clark took management once more.
After hitting his tee shot on the par-5 sixteenth into the tall native grass on the left, Clark rebounded with one other unbelievable restoration shot. He hit the ball off the excessive grass and again into the golf green. He then hit his third shot to 24 1/2 ft and made the birdie putt to increase his result in two.
However on the par-3 seventeenth, Clark hit his tee shot 69 ft. He left his first putt 6 ft brief and missed subsequent putts as properly. A 3-putt bogey left him one stroke behind Burns with one gap remaining.
Clark pushed his drive into the primary reduce within the tough on the correct aspect at No. 18. His strategy reached the inexperienced about 52 ft from the outlet, leaving him with two putts for the win. Clark positioned the primary one simply inches from the cup.
After making the profitable putt, Clark hugged his father, Randall, who had flown in from Denver on a red-eye flight Saturday evening.
Burns shot a 3-under 67 on Sunday to complete second at 3-under, his finest lead to a significant. Three-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim needed to drop to 141st within the Official World Golf Rankings to qualify for the U.S. Open, however he shot an even-par 70 and completed third at 1 underneath.
Clark, 32, gained his first U.S. Open title in 2023 at Los Angeles Nation Membership. On the US Open, he performed simply six matches and gained two. In keeping with the Elias Sports activities Bureau, solely John McDermott (4 video games), Walter Hagen (5 video games) and Ernie Els (5 video games) have accomplished it with fewer begins.
What’s much more spectacular is that Clark gained on Sunday with many followers within the gallery cheering him on. On the world’s No. 1 golfer’s thirtieth birthday, followers serenaded Scottie Scheffler with a “Completely happy Birthday” and caught Clark within the closing group to finish a profession Grand Slam.
Scheffler could not get something happening the greens with a 1-over 71 on Sunday. He tied for fourth at even par with Keith Mitchell (70) and JT Poston (67).
At the least one fan was ejected from the course for heckling Clark, who has prompted discord amongst golfers for the reason that incident at Oakmont Nation Membership throughout final yr’s U.S. Open. He kicked two lockers and was banned from the storied membership till he paid for repairs. They had been additionally requested to donate to charity and bear anger administration counseling.
For some time, it regarded like Clark would turn into the primary golfer to lose a lead of greater than 5 strokes within the closing spherical of a U.S. Open. Greg Norman is the one participant to lose a six-shot lead in a significant event, on the 1996 Masters.
Clark had a two-stroke lead over Burns with six holes left. On the par-4 thirteenth gap, Clark’s strategy shot missed the correct aspect of the inexperienced. He chipped to eight.5 ft however missed the putt for par, dropping to 4 underneath.
Only a few minutes later, Burns made a 17 1/2-foot birdie putt on the par-5 sixteenth to chop Clark’s benefit to 1 stroke. At that second, Clark heard a roar from the gallery.
Burns additionally tried for birdie on the par-3 seventeenth, however his 10-foot try fell brief. On No. 18, he narrowly missed a 16.5-foot shot that might have tied Clark.
Clark, who gained his first U.S. Open title at Los Angeles Nation Membership, regarded stressed on the entrance 9. He made three bogeys and noticed his lead shrink to 1 stroke.
His third bogey got here on the par-3 seventh gap. Clark hit a pleasant pitch from a greenside bunker to about 4 ft, then inexplicably missed the putt, dropping his rating to 4 underneath.
After capturing a 3-over 38 on the entrance 9, Clark had 4 birdies and was one stroke behind Burns, who took the lead at 3-under 32.
However Clark appeared to ease his nerves on the par-4 tenth. After a 347-yard drive, Clark hit an strategy shot from 61 yards out from 4 ft out. This time, he made the putt and received a birdie, closing in on a two-stroke lead at 5 underneath.
Burns, 29, was competing for his first main championship on the 2025 U.S. Open. He took the lead after holes 36 and 54 and held a one-shot lead going into the ultimate spherical. However at a rain-soaked Oakmont Nation Membership, Burns had a double bogey on the eleventh, a bogey on the twelfth, and a double bogey on the fifteenth, and after being denied aid from a puddle by two USGA officers, he shot an 8-over 78 and tied for 4-over seventh place, 5 strokes behind winner J.J. Spahn.
Clark began the primary three rounds Sunday with a six-stroke lead, posting a 7-under 203, the bottom rating of 54 holes at Sinek Hills.
Nevertheless, Clark’s lead didn’t final lengthy.
Burns, one of many prime putters on the PGA Tour, broke away from the pack and at last put stress on Clark. Recognized for his placing expertise on warm-weather grass, which led to his nickname “Bermuda Burns,” he birdied the primary and third holes to maneuver to 2 underneath.
Burns sank a 26 1/2-foot birdie on the par-5 fifth to chop his lead over Clark to a few strokes. One other birdie on the par-4 eighth, this one from 49 1/2 ft, reduce Burns’ result in two.
Clark made an enormous mistake on No. 5, and at one level his lead was all the way down to only one stroke. After his strategy shot from 209 yards handed the inexperienced, Clark was unable to hit his third shot arduous sufficient and the ball rolled again off the inexperienced. He hit his subsequent shot 24 ft outdoors the outlet, and a two-putt bogey dropped him to five underneath.
