Entering the final round of the U.S. Open at an empty LA Country Club, four players were within three shots of the lead: Rickie Fowler (-10), Wyndham Clark (-10), Rory McIlroy (-9), and Scottie Scheffler (-7).
Scheffler is the world No.1; Rory is a four-time major winner (and the face of the PGA Tour), while Fowler is arguably the tour’s most popular player.
Then there’s Clark, the relatively unknown 29-year-old from the University of Oregon, who won his first PGA Tour event just five weeks ago and had never finished better than T75 in a major.
Naturally, the underdog Clark held off the three superstars to claim victory at the 123rd U.S. Open. It was in Hollywood, after all.
“I feel like I belong on this stage, and even two, three years ago when people didn’t know who I was,” said Clark. “I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world. I felt like I’ve shown that this year.”
The Colorado native shot an even-par 70 on Sunday to reach 10-under 270, one clear of McIlroy, who failed once again claim his fifth career major title. The controversial star, who won four majors in his first 25 major starts, has now come up empty in his last 33 appearances.
Clark will ascend to No.13 in the world rankings, while earning $3,600,000.
2023 U.S. Open Results
Leaderboard: Top 10
Pos-Player-Score (Final Rd)
1. Wyndham Clark -10 (E)
2. Rory McIlroy -9 (E)
3. Scottie Scheffler -7 (E)
4. Cam Smith -6 (-3)
5. Rickie Fowler -5 (+5)
5. Min Woo Lee -5 (-3)
5. Tommy Fleetwood -5 (-7)
8. Tom Kim -4 (-1)
8. Harris Enghlish -4 (+2)
10. Xander Schauffele -3 (+2)
10. Dustin Johnson -3 (+2)
10. Austin Eckroat -3 (-5)
10. Jon Rahm -3 (-5)
Money Winners: Top 5
Pos-Player-Money
1. Wyndham Clark $3.6m
2. Rory McIlroy $2.16m
3. Scottie Scheffler $1.4m
4. Cam Smith $990k
5. Rickie Fowler $738k
5. Min Woo Lee $738k
5. Tommy Fleetwood $738k
U.S. Open: Photo Finish
Content from USGA Media used to compile this recap.
