Snaps Wyndham Clark’s US Open victory at Shinnecock

Check in every week for the unfiltered views of our writers and editors as they analyze the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Wyndham Clark’s US Open win, the week at Shinnecock and more.

Wyndham Clark won the 126th US Open, taking a 6-shot lead in the final round to defeat Sam Burns by one stroke at Shinnecock Hills. How did Wyndham escape the field so easily in the first three days and then hang on, even when it looked bad, on Sunday?

Josh Sens, senior author (@joshsens): Clark’s pitching was deadly all week. But in those opening rounds, he himself said that the driver was the key, that if the big stick goes well, it’s hard to hit. It probably helped that Shinnecock, like Los Angeles CC before it, was built with wide fairways. Clark found a lot of short grass in those opening rounds. And then, when his tee-to-green game got sloppy in the closing round, his putter went fuego.

Zephyr Melton, game development editor (@zephyrmelton): He had a red-hot putter, got lucky breaks when he hit it, and hit impressive shots when the going got tough. Winning wire-to-wire is always impressive, but doing it in US Open conditions at Shinnecock is on another level.

Josh Schrock, news editor (@schrock_and_awe): He took a good chance to catch his breath on Thursday, and did the same late on Saturday when he went down. He built his lead that way and then relied on a ridiculous clutch machine to bail him out when needed. To win the US Open, especially wire-to-wire at Shinnecock, you’re going to need everything working for you; that includes making a number of par saves and bogeys. Wyndham did enough to keep the train on the tracks on Sunday and brought it indoors.

Due to a sordid past – a legal dispute, a club-throwing incident and damage to an Oakmont locker – Clark has had to work to rebuild his image. Although some argue that most golfers are aggressive. Do you think Clark’s criticism is fair? And will this help change it?

Senses: It’s one thing to be angry. Another is to dispose of another person’s property. Clark has earned his reputation. He acted like a toddler on more than one occasion. But this week, he said he also did all the right things, and he was as gentle as all come out when it mattered. Sports fans aren’t like that, and I’m sure Clark has earned some admirers along the way. Whether he has really changed, who knows? But since when did the American public want their celebrities/athletes to be the people they are?

Melton: Criticism behind closed doors is fair, especially considering his lack of accountability and empty apologies. But in the world of sports, winning cures everything, and adding another trophy to his resume wouldn’t hurt.

Scrock: How do we define righteousness? Sports and sports fans, in general, are not rational or fair. Golf doesn’t have its fair share of villains as many have gone to LIV, and if Clark can fill this void, that’s good for the sport. It wasn’t just that he smashed a locker or nearly hit a volunteer with a driver at the PGA or crushed the grass behind the ball at the API. That’s all. The fans went above and beyond to cheer him on on Sunday. But fans don’t like runaway winners, for the most part. They want drama or a big win from a star. Add in Clark’s transgressions, and you’ve got a guy who isn’t exactly a fan favorite and the New York crowd will try and be a train wreck. Will a wire-to-wire win at Shinnecock help change that? Does it really matter? Probably not.

Scottie Scheffler, who turned 30 on Sunday, failed in his first attempt at a Grand Slam. What gives you hope that he won’t wait too long to complete the slam, and what gives you pause?

Senses: The only thing that gives me pause is that it is very difficult to win the majors. Other than that, nothing. He is the best player in the world. He is healthy. And unlike other talents of the generation, he doesn’t seem prone to self-destruction or going off course. If not next year, it will be soon enough.

Melton: He has the highest floor of any player in the game, and even when he gets his C+ game (as he did this week), he keeps himself in contention. It’s only a matter of time before he pulls one out.

Scrock: He always sits at the top of the leaderboard. He hasn’t had his A game all year and is always in the mix on Sunday. As long as he continues to have the upper hand in golf, he will have more opportunities to do this. But while we can all sit here and say that Scheffler should have more chances to win a career Grand Slam, sometimes things don’t go so well. We don’t know what the future holds, where his game will be every time this tournament comes, whether he will find it bad or not to play with a draw here or a bad bounce there. These opportunities actually don’t happen all the time. It seemed like Sunday was a huge missed opportunity.

Joaquin Niemann received two penalties for swinging the golf club in his first round at Shinnecock Hills. No video has surfaced, although The Athletic reported that Niemann was upset that he was not free from fire ants after hitting two balls out of bounds, kicking the flag used to mark his ball and the nearby sand before hurling his club about 50 yards. The punishment falls under the new conduct policy that regulates such things. But without the video, do you think the penalty was too severe? Why not just a warning?

Senses: Let’s not fall into the Instagram-era trap of thinking that if it wasn’t captured on video, it didn’t happen. Apparently, there were witnesses, and Niemann didn’t deny what he did. Whatever he should be happy about, the rules wouldn’t mean he was kicked out of the competition.

Melton: The act must have been too surprising to give a sentence without prior warnings. Unfortunately, without video evidence, we will never know exactly what happened.

Scrock: I don’t have a problem with the fine as I do with the unfair manner in which it is issued. Niemann did not deny any of the reported aspects of the incident. On Sunday, he joked that it was a good putt while also saying he felt the USGA was deliberately bullying him. Frustration happens, but there has to be a line. The problem is that we don’t have a clear idea of ​​where that line is and what it means to cross it. Jon Rahm kicked his driver down the field without penalty. Niemann threw his club away from the crowd and was hit twice. I think the way punishments are handed out and the lack of transparency as to why they are given or not given, is a bigger issue than the Niemann incident.

What was your most memorable takeaway from the 126th US Open?

Senses: That’s as tough as Shinnecock’s play is, it might be hard to stop. A lot of pain and effort has gone into getting this right, both in care practices and in communicating with the public about the conditions. No one wanted the subject to become a story. But to some extent, it was anyway. Until I heard the superintendent say that if it takes this much sweat and stress to get the course right, it might not be a suitable modern US Open venue.

Melton: Even though Shinnecock is “easy,” it’s still very difficult. With all the complaints we’ve seen on social media, you’d think the winning score would be 30 less! Although they were able to be found, only three players finished the week in red. What a test that place offers.

Scrock: It will go off the wall here. With Wyndham putting the tournament in good shape from basically Thursday night on, the thing I took away the most was how bad timing it was for LIV to have a baby of the week. As the league looks to outside investors to find the money that will be there in 2027, its two biggest stars are not shown entirely on the positive side of the picture. Jon Rahm’s 78 shot on Friday was shocking and Bryson DeChambeau quickly exited the scene Friday morning. It’s a bad time to have a bad week.

Who won the week without winning the week?

Senses: Tom Kim. He made it through, and assured himself that he will enter next year’s US Open. Not bad for someone who just disappears from the radar.

Melton: Keith Mitchell. He opened the tournament with a 41 on his opening nine, followed with a 29 to come home, then turned in three more rounds of level-par play. A pretty solid week, I’d say.

Scrock: Jackson Koivun and Miles Russell. The future of US golf both qualified and played the weekend together in both rounds. Koivun, the soon-to-be champion, tied for low amateur, and Russell, aged 17 (!), acquitted themselves better than a number of golf’s biggest names. The future is bright. Take them out first at Adare Manor, Furyk.

“>