What a Difference a Year Makes

12 months after incident at Oakmont, Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Wyndham Clark gains some redemption by winning U.S. Open for 2nd time in 4 years, going wire-to-wire in the process; Colorado high school alums have now won 6 U.S. Opens in the last 53 years

By Gary Baines 

Although it was anything but a final-day walk in the park, Wyndham Clark closed the deal on Sunday at the U.S. Open, completing a phoenix-like rise from the ashes a year after reaching rock bottom in the same national championship.

Just three years removed from capturing his first U.S. Open title, the Denver native on Sunday capped off a red-hot month by becoming the 24th player to win the U.S. Open at least twice. That elite group includes fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductee Hale Irwin, who claimed three U.S. Open championships among his 20 PGA Tour victories.

Playing on one of championship golf’s toughest tests (Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y.), and with the game’s top player being one of his closest challengers (Scottie Scheffler), Clark came back from the brink after losing all but one stroke of the six-shot lead he held entering Sunday. In doing so, he became the first U.S. Open wire-to-wire winner since Martin Kaymer a dozen years ago.

Playing a course designed by William Flynn — like the Cherry Hills Country Club layout Clark grew up playing — he went 64-69-70-73 for a 4-under-par total, one better than Sam Burns and three better than Tom Kim.

The victory was worth $4.5 million and the 2010 CGA Amateur champion moved up to No. 8 in the World Golf Rankings after being 75th in mid-May.

All in all, Clark’s golf game has come a L—O—N—G ways since he damaged lockers at Oakmont Country Club — and his reputation — in a temper-related incident after missing the cut by one at last year’s U.S. Open. And 13 months ago, he’d thrown a club and damaged a sign at the 2025 PGA Championship.

“The first (U.S. Open title) was kind of just the breakthrough of knowing I can do it,” the 2024 Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductee said. “And then this one was a lot of redemption, you know? Last year was so tough, a terrible year. I left (the U.S. Open) in shambles, and it’s amazing what a year can do. And so I’m leaving here this Sunday as a champion, and I’m just so blessed.”

It was anything but easy — considering Clark led by six going into the final round and by seven with 19 holes to play — but he never was caught on Sunday, though Burns inched within one on more than one occasion, and the Louisianan missed at 10-foot birdie try on No. 17 and a 16-footer on 18 that could have tied things.

Clark also demonstrated some grit as the New York crowd was definitely pulling for Scheffler out of the final twosome as the world’s No. 1 golfer turned 30 on Sunday and could have completed a career Grand Slam with a victory. It got to the point on multiple occasions that some spectators cheered when Clark’s shots went awry.

“It was the worst I’ve ever seen a player treated” — regarding an American on U.S. soil, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said.

“Man, they definitely didn’t want me to win,” Clark said. “It’s pretty rare in an Open Championship or a major to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots.

“That was tough, but sometimes being the underdog is nice. I was in ’23 (at the U.S. Open), and I kind of did the same thing. Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive. You know, some of it’s self-deserved (based on what happened at last year’s U.S. Open). I kind of brought it on myself, but I also get it too. Scottie was going for the career Grand Slam, and it hasn’t happened very often.

“It was tough, but I’m proud of myself that I battled through. I mean, things really could have gotten away from me. I stood tough. I would have liked to have won by more, but as long as you win, it doesn’t matter.”

Said Scheffler regarding the situation: “The crowd was tough today. I mean, New Yorkers, they are tough people. There was a good turnout from the fans. You like seeing the fans cheer for you. I think sometimes it can get a little too much when balls are kind of going off greens and you start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me.

“Being in the arena is not for everybody, and I think it shows a lot about Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course but I think the crowd today as well and (he’s) a well-deserving champion.”

A day after making the first eagle of the week on the par-5 16th, Clark carded a pivotal birdie on the same hole on Sunday after driving his ball into the fescue left of the fairway and having a lie NBC reporter Bones Mackay called “horrendously bad.” As it turned out, the Valor Christian High School grad advanced the ball 178 yards — and into the fairway. His approach ended up 24 feet from the cup, and he drained the birdie putt, punctuating the moment with a hearty fist pump. That gave him a two-stroke lead with two to play.

But he made things tighter again when he three-putted No. 17 from 69 feet — missing a 6-foot par attempt and making bogey — narrowing the lead to one over Burns, who had closed with a 67.

On 18, needing a par for the title, Clark’s tee ball went into the right rough. He hit his approach to 52 feet short of the flag, and cozied his lag putt to 9 inches for an stress-free par and the victory.

“This whole day was about the resiliency of a U.S. Open champion,” Chamblee noted.

On Father’s Day, flying in for the final round — unbeknownst to Wyndham — was his dad, Randall, who hadn’t been on hand for any of his previous four PGA Tour titles. When they hugged near the 18th green, Randall can be heard effusively telling Wyndham, “I’m so proud of you.”

“Well, that was a shock,” Wyndham said of Randall showing up. “My dad hasn’t been to many events, and in ’23, he wasn’t there (for the U.S. Open), which was really unfortunate. So for him to be here in person is amazing, Happy Father’s Day, pops. I love you so much. And I’m just glad we could share this together.”

Clark celebrates his win with his dad, Randall, on Father’s Day.

And Randall Clark certainly wasn’t the only one congratulating Wyndham immediately upon winning. Between the 18th green and the scoring area, countless friends and family hugged and laughed it out with the two-time U.S. Open champ.

Just a little more than a month removed from having posted just two top-10 official PGA Tour finishes in the previous 20 months, Clark has rocketed back into golf’s elite ranks, with two victories and two other top-11 finishes in his last four starts.

That gives the 32-year-old Valor Christian graduate five PGA Tour victories in his career — the first three coming in a nine-month stretch from spring 2023 to early 2024.

So what put Clark back on track with his golf game?

Mainly three things — a change of putters, the addition of an instructor from Cherry Hills Country Club, and a switch of caddies. He started using a Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset model in late March, and has been stellar on the greens since, after struggling with the flatstick for a long time. And in September, Clark began working with Cherry Hills Country Club director of instruction Pat Coyner, who was on site at the U.S. Open earlier this week. And in the early spring, Clark ended an eight-year run with caddie John Ellis and replaced him with Dave Pelekoudas, his looper at the U.S. Open.

But despite the recent tear he’s been on, Clark played his first seven holes in 3 over par on Sunday and had hit just 11 greens out of 25 holes since the beginning of round 3. That left Burns just one behind after he started the day seven back. And Burns would return to that spot — one behind Clark — more than once. But he never did tie the Denver native, despite good the birdie opportunities on the 17th and 18th holes.

Scheffler, meanwhile, remained a few back of Clark most of the day and finished tied for fourth place at even par.

“To Wyndham’s credit, he played amazing all week,” Burns said. “That was really impressive golf that he played the first three rounds. Even today, I know he shot (3) over par, but it was playing really difficult this afternoon. He did the right things when he needed to. He’s a well-deserved champion.”

Indeed, despite a fair number of miscues on the weekend, Clark emerged with the trophy, thanks in no small part to finishing the week fourth in strokes gained putting.

“I played some ugly golf the last two days, but my putter and short game kind of kept me in it,” he said. “To make all the putts I did with my Ping putter that I love so much has been amazing. But honestly, it comes down to just believing that good things are going to happen, and that you’re going make the putt. And, fortunately, the ones that I needed to make, I did.”

In the end, Clark became the eighth different player to go wire-to-wire — no ties — to win the U.S. Open, joining Kaymer (2014), Rory McIlroy (2011), Tiger Woods (2000 and 2002), Tony Jacklin (1970), Ben Hogan (1953), Jim Barnes (1921) and Walter Hagen (1914).

Meanwhile, more locally speaking, the U.S. Open has now been won by Colorado high school alums a remarkable six times in the last 53 years, with Hale Irwin (Boulder High School; victories in 1974, ’79 and ’90), Steve Jones (Yuma High School; won in 1996) and Clark (Valor Christian; triumphs in 2023 and ’26). Irwin remains the oldest winner ever of the championship, at 45.

Asked about how he and his team might be celebrating on Sunday night, Clark said, “We are definitely going to open up some grape — a lot of grape.”

For all the scores from the U.S. Open, CLICK HERE.

About the Writer: Gary Baines has covered golf in Colorado continuously since 1983. He was a sports writer at the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, then the sports editor there, and has written regularly for ColoradoGolf.org since 2009. The University of Colorado Evans Scholar alum was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com