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Wyndham Clark maintains poise, wins U.S. Open as Los Angeles Country Club

June 19, 2023

Wyndham Clark celebrates with his caddie after winning the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Wyndham Clark pumps his fists after winning the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Wyndham Clark kisses the US Open trophy after winning the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Wyndham Clark raises the US Open trophy after winning the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Wyndham Clark celebrates after winning the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Wyndham Clark hugs his caddie after making his putt on the 18th green to win the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Rickie Fowler of Murrietta (CA) wipes his face after finishing on the 18th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland hugs Scottie Scheffler, right, after finishing 18 holes during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Thousands of fans rushed to the edge of the bunkers to watch as Wyndham Clark prepares to putt on the 18th green 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Wyndham Clark reacted after sinking his putt on the 18th green and winning the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Bryson DeChambeau chips out of the bunker onto the 18th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland reacts after missing a putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Xander Schaufflele chips out of the bunker onto the 18th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Wyndham Clark hoists the trophy after winning the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland lines up his putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Wyndham Clark celebrates with family after winning the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Scottie Scheffler makes his way to the 11th tee during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Xander Schaufflele twirls his club after a short putt on the 10th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland reacts after missing a putt on the 10th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland makes his way to the 11th tee during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Wyndham Clark reacts after missing a putt wide on the 10th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

Fans walk around during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Fans look down towards the 9th tee box during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Tommy Fleetwood tips his hat to the crowd after sinking his final putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Billy Horschel takes a swing on the 18th fairway as the crowd surrounds him during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Rickie Fowler and his caddie walk towards the green on the first hole fairway during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

Fans sit in the fan zone during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (Photo by Libby Cline Birmingham, Contributing Photographer)

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LOS ANGELES — As Wyndham Clark’s late mother Lisa was battling breast cancer, she made her son promise he would always “play big.”

Clark would have made his mom proud during Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, producing big shot after big shot over the final nine holes, en route to becoming just the fourth player in U.S. Open history to win the tournament after making the cut for the first time. Clark’s even par 70 on Sunday left him at 10-under 270, one shot better than runner-up Rory McIlroy who also shot 70 over the final day. Scottie Scheffler finished third at 7-under 273. Murrieta native Rickie Fowler, who started the day tied for the lead with Clark, was 5 over on Sunday, finishing in a tie for fifth.

While Sunday was Father’s Day, Clark’s thoughts during and after the round were on his late mother.

“I felt like my mom was watching over me,” Clark said as he fought back tears. “You know, my mom was — she was so positive and such a motivator. She’d be crying tears of joy. She called me winner when I was little, so she would just say, `I love you, Winner.’ She had that mantra of play big. I was a mama’s boy, so there would be a lot of hugging and crying together. But I know she’d be very proud of me. I miss her, and it’s obviously great to think about her, and being here in LA (where she lived for several years) and winning something like this makes me think of her even more.”

Clark demonstrated tremendous resiliency throughout the round. On the par-5, eighth hole, his approach shot came up just short and ended up buried in a bush beside the green. Unable to see the ball, he swung and whiffed on his first shot. Keeping his composure, he knocked his next shot on the green and two-putted for bogey.

“In that moment my mind started going fast, but the good thing is I’ve done things like that in the past. I’ve learned from a lot of mistakes I’ve made, and so has my caddie, John. He said we’re fine. It’s no big deal. We got my wits about me and I got that up-and-down. Obviously that’s momentum. Even though I made a bogey it didn’t kill me and kept me in the tournament. That was a huge point in the round.”

Clark made a huge up and down out of the rough on the following hole to save par, allowing him to maintain his lead heading to the back nine.

After making a birdie on the par-5, 14th hole, Clark had a three-shot lead but consecutive bogeys on 15 and 16 cut the lead to a single shot with two holes left to play.

“Although I made a couple bogeys and it seemed like maybe the rails were coming off, I was inside pretty calm,” Clark said. “I hit some great shots coming down on 17 and 18. I felt like I kept my emotions in check as much as I could until the green on 18. I’m really pleased with myself with how I performed.”

Sunday’s win was Clark’s second victory in just over a month. In May he won the Wells Fargo Championship, ending a streak of 133 PGA starts without a victory.

Finding success after years of frustration and disappointment allowed Clark to believe those around him, like his caddie and his family, who told him that greater things were going to happen for him. His newly found confidence led to a string of strong performances heading into the U.S. Open, including contending in Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament.

“I honestly think I should have won the Memorial Tournament,” Clark said. “Viktor (Hovland) played great, but I was right there in contention and had a chance and kind of fumbled at the end. In the back of my mind, I said, well, what if this is saving me for something greater. Obviously I didn’t know it was going to be a U.S. Open, but I just had that attitude and belief that something better was going to happen.”

His performance over the course of the four rounds at LACC this week proved Clark was right. He came within a stroke of joining a handful of U.S. Open winners who posted four rounds in the 60s. Clark, who was both the Big 12 Freshman of the Year at Oklahoma State and the Pac-12 Player of the Year after transferring to Oregon, got to the PGA Tour pretty quickly but because of a lack of success, he felt like he was underperforming.

“I’ve had many times where I’ve gone home and was yelling in my car and punching things and just so mad that I’m like, why can’t I do what my peers are doing that I know I can play with and against and beat,” Clark said. “I’ve probably had three to four really defining moments in my career since college, but I’m really glad that I stuck it through. And God has a plan for me, and it’s obviously far greater than I ever could have imagined. Being here now, I just feel so blessed. It’s honestly surreal to look back and think about the journey the last seven to ten years.”

For McIlroy, Sunday’s final round was the latest in a long line of opportunities that the four-time major winner has had to claim another major and has come up short.

The world’s No. 3 ranked player was solid throughout the round, but was unable to convert on multiple birdie opportunities that could have allowed him to take control of the tournament.

“The last real two chances I’ve had at majors I feel like have been pretty similar performances, like St Andrews last year and then here,” McIlroy said. “Not doing a lot wrong, but I didn’t make a birdie since the first hole today. Just trying to be a little more, I guess, efficient with my opportunities and my looks. Again, overall when you’re in contention going into the final round of a U.S. Open, I played the way I wanted to play. There was just a couple of shots, two or three shots over the course of the round that I’d like to have back.”

Following Thursday’s opening round where scores were uncharacteristically low due to the overcast skies and moisture in the air, the final three days saw the LACC course toughen up and provide the kind of challenges that are expected at a U.S. Open venue.

While there were some players who didn’t feel the setup was up to U.S. Open standards, the majority of the players who competed in the tournament felt like the course provided a fair and challenging test of golf.

“It’s quite a good setup,” said Padraig Harrington. “I think it’s an excellent setup. We were going out there today wondering would there be a bit of bite in it, would there be a bit of fight back. But it was a good setup. I think the one thing you’ve got to — if you produce a golf course in good condition, like these are probably the best greens we’ve ever putted on in a major. I’m telling you, these are just a pure bent surface which is beautiful to putt on. If you produce good greens, you’re going to get good scoring.”

While Clark was thinking about his mom during and after the round, he also said he looked forward to sharing the victory with his father, who was back home watching on television.

“This is a pretty emotional tournament for both John (his caddie) and I, because John lost his dad only a couple years ago, and obviously being Father’s Day, I hope this brings joy in his dad’s eyes and obviously to John,” Clark said. “Happy Father’s Day to my dad. He’s unfortunately not here, but I love him, and I can’t wait to celebrate with him.”

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Wyndham Clark maintains poise, wins U.S. Open as Los Angeles Country Club

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