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.Wyndham Clark celebrates with caddie David Pelekoudas after winning the 126th U.S.
Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.(Warren Little/Getty Images)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...