WYNDHAM Clark had to withstand a thrilling final round charge by fellow American Sam Burns before clinching his second US Open victory.
And he was greeted by his dad Randall – who took a red-eye flight to New York to surprise him and watch his victory.
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Wyndham Clark won his second US Open title in New York this week Credit: AP
Wyndham Clark celebrates with girlfriend Emily Tanner Credit: Getty
Clark also had to battle a hostile crowd, who were clearly rooting for his playing partner – Scottie Scheffler – whose bid to complete the career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday proved a big let down.
Adding to his 2023 triumph seemed a formality for Clark before the final round began, after he spreadeagled the field over the first 54 holes at Shinnecock to storm into a massive six shot lead at seven under par.
Yet the expected victory procession turned into a searing slugfest.
Clark played the front nine in three over par, while Burns – who began at level par – turned up the heat by playing that stretch in THREE Under.
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But Clark, who infamously smashed up his locker after missing the cut at Oakmont last year, has been doing plenty of damage on the course on the back nine all week.
He finished strongly again, and as the Burns birdies dried up, the outcome most of us expected became a happy reality for the Denver golfer.
Clark had an early taste of what lay in store, as his six shot overnight advantage was trimmed to five by the time he teed off.
Burns, the 54 hole leader at last year’s US Open, started at level par this time. But he immediately set off in hot pursuit, bagging a couple of birdies in the first two holes.
And the gap was down to four shots when Clark bogeyed the second hole – a brute of a par three at 255 yards – after dragging his tee shot forty yards wide of the green.
The bad news for the leader continued as a big roar confirmed that Burns had found a third birdie, burying a putt from outside 25 feet on the par five fifth.
The early drama continued as Clark found a fairway bunker on the fourth, and hit his second shot so far right it bounced off a cart path and settled behind a couple of trash cans!
That seemed to sum up that second shot. But once the bins were removed, Clark responded with a miraculous par save, floating a chip to 15 feet and nailing the putt.
But just as he was picking his ball out of the hole, another roar erupted up ahead, confirming that Burns had moved to within two shots by draining a fifty footer for his fourth birdie at the eighth.
A shocking bogey six on the par five fifth – the easiest hole on the course – dropped Clark to five under par. With Burns up to four under, it really was game on.
But Clark finally made his first birdie after a booming drive at the tenth, and he was three ahead when Burns ended a run of five straight pars with a three putt bogey at 15.
The challenger also agonizingly missed a birdie putt on the 18th which would’ve put him in the clubhouse at four under par.
Sam Burns agonizingly missed a birdie putt on 18 which all but ended his charge Credit: Getty
Scottie Scheffler was cheered on by the New York crowd and serenaded with a birthday song Credit: Reuters
Clark made a huge birdie on 16 before giving it straight back on 17.
He walked down the 18th with a one-shot lead – and made a superb two-putt par from 52 feet to seal his victory.
While all that was going on Scheffler – who was greeted with a loud chorus of Happy Birthday when he walked onto the first tee – was little more than an interested onlooker.
The mood of celebration was swiftly doused as he started with a clumsy bogey, after hitting his approach shot through the back of the green. He never really recovered from that blow.
Tommy Fleetwood was another fast starter, with birdies at the second and third holes reviving memories of the course record 63 in the final round here in 2018, which almost brought him his first Major.
But that was as good as it got this time for Fleetwood, who finished a shot behind Brooks Koepka eight years ago.
With Masters champion Rory McIlroy’s disappointing 73 dropping him to six over, and Aaron Rai never threatening to repeat his USPGA triumph, the final round highlight for the Brits this time was a gutsy 67 from Tyrrell Hatton.
