Clark Claims Wire-to-Wire Victory... "Winning a Major Is Tough"

Struggles With 3-Over in Final Round, Clark Wins US Open by One Stroke
First Major Victory in Three Years Since 2023
Burns Finishes Second, Kim Joohyung Third, Scheffler Fourth

World No. 34 Wyndham Clark of the United States claimed a wire-to-wire victory at the US Open, one of golf’s major championships.

On June 21 (local time), Clark carded two birdies and five bogeys in the final round of the 126th US Open—the third major of the 2026 season—held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club (par 70, 7,440 yards) in Southampton, New York. Despite shooting a 3-over-par 73, he secured a one-shot victory with a total score of 4-under-par 276.

Wyndham Clark is celebrating with his caddy after securing a wire-to-wire victory at the US Open. Southampton=AP Yonhap News

This marks Clark’s second win of the season and fifth career title, following his victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson last month. He also returned to the top of the US Open podium for the first time in three years, having previously won the championship at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023. The winner’s prize is $4.5 million (approximately 6.9 billion won). Last year, after missing the cut at the US Open, Clark was criticized for damaging locker room property out of frustration at his poor performance.

Clark started the final round with a six-shot lead but faltered with bogeys at the 2nd (par 3), 5th (par 5), and 7th (par 3) holes. He made his first birdie at the 10th (par 4) but added another bogey at the 13th (par 4), allowing Sam Burns of the United States to close the gap to just one stroke. Clark offset a birdie at the 16th (par 5) with a bogey at the 17th (par 3), but managed to save par on the final 18th (par 4) to secure his one-shot victory.

In a post-win interview, Clark said, "I wasn’t satisfied with my performance during the tournament. It was tough to manage the course since I couldn’t keep the ball on the fairway," but added, "Still, I’m extremely happy to have won." He also apologized again for damaging the locker last year, saying, "I apologize once more for what happened. Scheffler is certain to achieve a career grand slam someday."

Sam Burns is disappointed after missing a birdie on the 18th hole of the 4th round at the US Open. Southampton=UPI Yonhap News Photo by UPI

World No. 30 Sam Burns shot a 3-under-par 67 to finish runner-up with a total of 3-under-par 277. He was aiming for his sixth career victory since the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in March 2023, but ultimately fell just short. Burns bowed his head in disappointment when his birdie putt on the 18th stopped just short of the hole.

Kim Joohyung traded four birdies with four bogeys, finishing third, three shots back, with a score of 1-under-par 279. This is his best major championship result since tying for second at the 2023 Open Championship.

Scottie Scheffler of the United States, who was chasing a career grand slam, carded two birdies and three bogeys for a 1-over-par 71, finishing tied for fourth at even-par 280, four shots off the lead. Scheffler missed a birdie opportunity on the 14th (par 4), settling for a three-putt bogey. J.T. Poston and Keith Mitchell, both Americans, also finished in this group.

Kim Juhyung is teeing off at the 6th hole in the 4th round of the US Open. Southampton=AFP Yonhap News Agency

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland mixed three birdies with six bogeys for a 3-over-par 73, finishing tied for 32nd at 6-over-par 286. Sungjae Im carded one birdie but racked up six bogeys, shooting a 5-over-par 75 to finish tied for 43rd at 8-over-par 288. Kim Siwoo missed the cut.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.