On Sunday evening at Shinnecock Hills, Wyndham Clark stood over a 52-foot putt on the final green, needing two strokes to secure the U.S. Open. The 32-year-old American, who had begun the day with a six-shot advantage, saw his margin evaporate to a single stroke after a closing 73. As he tapped in for par, his father Randall, who had flown in overnight, rushed to embrace him on Father’s Day, capping a triumph that was as gruelling as it was redemptive.

Clark’s second U.S. Open crown in four years unravelled swiftly under the Long Island sun. Bogeys at the second and fifth holes, combined with Ryder Cup teammate Sam Burns’s three birdies in the opening five, trimmed the lead to one by the seventh. Burns, playing several groups ahead, posted a flawless 67 and nearly holed a birdie putt at the 18th that would have piled more pressure. Instead, the ball grazed the cup, leaving Burns on his knees and Clark with a one-shot cushion. The champion responded with a theatrical 24-foot birdie on the par-5 16th – from a lie described as “horrendous” rough – to stretch the lead to two, only to three-putt the 17th and set up a tense finish. Two putts later, he had survived.

Wire-to-wire winners of this championship are rare; Clark became the ninth, and the first since Martin Kaymer in 2014. Yet the gallery that day was seldom with him. Spectators openly rooted for world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was chasing the career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday. “New York really didn’t like me,” Clark said afterward, acknowledging that his own actions at Oakmont a year earlier – where he damaged a locker in anger after missing the cut – had not been forgotten. He called the win “redemption.” The USGA reported that at least one spectator was ejected for shouting “Don’t choke, Wyndham.”

Scheffler’s bid never materialised; a one-over 71 left him tied for fourth alongside Keith Mitchell and JT Poston. South Korean Tom Kim finished third at one under. Further down the leaderboard, Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg carded the round of the day, a 66, to climb into the top 20. The week also provided a poignant subplot: 17-year-old Miles Russell, the youngest player in the field, arranged for his father to caddie the final hole as a Father’s Day surprise. Meanwhile, the logistical frustrations of Shinnecock – limited train services forcing early departures – had thinned the Saturday evening galleries, a topic that prompted quiet debate among officials.

Clark’s victory adds a second major to the one he claimed at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023. With two wins in the past month, he reasserts his place among the game’s elite, while the U.S. Open’s demanding setup once again yielded only three players under par for the week. The championship now moves on, leaving behind a champion who had to fight more than just the course.