US Open was Wyndham Clark’s second win as a professional Clark unyielding in deserved win

By Neville Idour

Wyndham Clark, ranked 35th in the world, surprised many with his United States Open win, especially with Rory McIlroy breathing down his neck starting the final round at the Los Angeles Country Club.

With McIlroy dialled in hitting fairways and greens, Clark would surely not be able to withstand the heat.

If ever a course was set up for McIlroy this was it. With wide fairways, McIlroy was always going to be in the mix with reasonable accuracy from the tee. He was better than that hitting almost every fairway and green in regulation. Putting for birdie on many holes he was unable to sink enough putts from the 10 foot range.

Conversely, Clark, without quite the same pinpoint accuracy as McIlroy, prevailed because he was able for the most part to have crucial putts closer to the hole than McIlroy, thanks to his superior penultimate shots. His ability to get up and down from some difficult positions was almost faultless.

In the final round there were two key moments for Clark. His up and down for par on the 11th hole from long rough off the green was remarkable leaving a shortish putt. Then on the par five 14th his three wood second shot from 280 yards was one of the tournament’s best to a few feet. While he missed the eagle putt, the birdie gave him a three shot lead thanks to McIlroy’s only bogey on the same hole.

McIlroy’s bogey was a shock as he was only 124 yards from the green playing his third shot which ended up in the very long grass in the front of the greenside bunker. However he was able to escape as the ball was ruled embedded, so he received a drop without penalty which many people disagreed with.

What made matters more surprising, he was allowed to drop the ball in front of the bunker in a good lie but had a rules’ official giving guidance. After all that good fortune Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee called the miss “absolutely criminal.”

As it would happen Clark’s only hiccups came on the long par three 15th and the ridiculously long 558-yard par four 16th. His lead now one, the tension was palpable. Despite this and the bounce not always going Clark’s way he dug in and played No 17 perfectly for par and then on No 18 he two putted for par from 60 feet and a thoroughly deserved and popular win. No doubt his late mother’s two word rule “play big” for him to carry into competition since his younger days was ringing in his ears during that final round.

For McIlroy he could have no complaints despite some pundits focussing on why he lost rather than why Clark won. McIlroy’s shotmaking throughout was so consistent and on more than one occasion the bounce was favourable allowing him to escape the dreaded rough, not to mention his huge break on the 14th. To confirm his excellent shotmaking he hit six more greens in regulation than anyone else and nine more than Clark. Certainly a good lead in to The Open in England this month.

For Rickie Fowler it was a disappointing final round after beginning the day tied with Clark on 10 under par. He slipped back into a tie for fifth but he was still upbeat.

“I definitely think we are heading in the right direction and it is nice to be in contention with some solid finishes,” Fowler said.

Fowler showed some class with his warm embrace and comments to Clark on the 18th, offering his congratulations and saying how proud he was of him winning.

He also said: “We had a good time the

“I just felt like my mum was watching over me today and you know she can’t be here. Miss you mum,” he said.

Clark, whose father was a professional tennis player, said he did not feel uncomfortable as he held the lead for much of the final round.

“I feel like I belong on this stage. Even two, three years ago when people didn’t know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world.

“It’s gone faster than I thought as far as just starting to do some stuff mentally that I’ve never done before, but I feel like I’m one of the best players in the world.

“Obviously this just shows what I believe can happen.” last two days. I feel we both enjoy chatting throughout the round and keeping things fairly light.”

Clark played some great recovery shots in the final round as he maintained his lead and his confidence was underlined on the 18th green where he was left with two putts from 60 feet to secure victory. He putted the ball to tap in distance.

Scottie Scheffler looked frustrated at times with his putting but despite that was a close third and Cameron Smith had a sizzling final round to finish fourth. Dustin Johnson also showed his game is close to his best. A crazy quadruple bogey in the early rounds and seeing many putts lip out or miss by millimetres saw him finish tied 10th. The form of these players and others augurs well for The Open.

As a final note was Wyndham Clark’s win really a big surprise? No.

Why? He has had a superb season with his first win on the PGA Tour coming in May at the Wells Fargo Championship where he dominated with a four shot margin over Xander Schauffele. The course was set up like a major championship with Clark saying “it felt like a major course”. After five years and 133 starts on the PGA Tour without a win he now has two wins in the last six weeks and a world ranking of 13. What price Clark at The Open Championship?

By Neville Idour

The 123rd United States Open came with much hoopla and has gone with mixed thoughts and polarising views on the course itself.

The end result with Wyndam Clark winning was a thoroughly deserved one, but opinions on the Los Angeles Country Club course were quite diverse.

The club is one of the United State’s most exclusive and this year’s open was a chance for fans to get a rare look behind the doors at what is said to be a stunning layout with many memorable holes.

The first round record 62s by Rickie Fowler and Scottie Schauffele amidst a birdie fest had many wondering what had happened to the test a US Open always is. As it turned out the nine under par first round score would end up the winning score so the course certainly gave a firm reply.

Some of the players views were contrasting.

Scheffler said it was an interesting layout and he liked it a lot.

Padraig Harrington said the greens were the best he had ever seen in a major championship.

Harris English, who finished eighth said: “I like it. It is kind of old school golf. I like blind shots.”

Phil Mickelson, who just missed the cut, said: “It is a great setup.”

Victor Hovland, 19th, said: “I’m not a big fan. There are some good holes, a few bad holes, but no great holes. The ninth is probably the best.”

Matthew Fitzpatrick who finished 17th, didn’t like the long rough immediately by the fairways and said it was “a little bit unfair, a poor setup.”

Bryson De Chambeau said: “It’s a completely different test of golf than a normal US Open. It is more like a links course.” Brooks Koepka also said he wasn’t a big fan.

The back nine was significantly more difficult than the front nine. The back nine measured 3731 yards against 3505 yards for the first nine — an average of 25 yards per hole.

The final six holes, which include the short 133-yard (sometimes shorter) par three, measured 2647 yards, an average 441 yards. The remaining 12 holes only measured 4589 yards, average 382 yards.