Denver native Wyndham Clark, aiming to go wire-to-wire for his second U.S. Open title, expands lead to 6 strokes going into final round
By Gary Baines – 6/20/2026
If Wyndham Clark seems a fair amount more comfortable than most competitors this week at the U.S. Open — and in this case, it’s all relative — there might be a good reason for that.
After all, the Denver native grew up playing countless rounds at Cherry Hills Country Club south of Denver, where his parents were members. And last year, Clark joined fellow USGA champions Bill Loeffler and Jill McGill as honorary members at the club. Plus, his new instructor, Pat Coyner, is the PGA director of instruction at Cherry Hills.
We note this because less than a decade after William Flynn designed the course at Cherry Hills a century ago, he did the same at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y., site of this week’s U.S. Open.
That’s the same U.S. Open where the Colorado Golf Hall of Famer has led after 18, 36 and 54 holes. In his quest to become the 24th player to win at least two U.S. Opens — after his triumph in 2023 — Clark will take a six-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round. And that’s despite three-putting the final hole for bogey on Saturday, missing a 5-foot par attempt.
The six-shot advantage marks the third-largest 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open since World War II — behind Tiger Woods in 2000 (10 strokes) and Rory McIlroy in 2011 (8 shots).
Wyndham Clark is looking for his second major championship title.
Clark, a 32-year-old Valor Christian High School alum, followed up a load of scrambling saves — and a 5-foot birdie on No. 14 — by making the first eagle of the week on the 604-yard 16th hole, hitting a 3-wood from 275 yards to just 4 feet and draining the putt. Clark called it “one of the shots of the tournament.” That ballooned his lead to a whopping seven strokes at the time.
Speaking of which, Clark rode the same club he has in a red-hot last month — his putter, a Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset model — to par save after par save in the third round, in which he shot an even-par 70. He sits at 7-under par overall, six strokes ahead of second place Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked player in the world, Sahith Theegala, Tom Kim and Sam Stevens.
“It was the tale of two people,” Clark said of his play on Saturday. “I would hit great shots, then I’d hit one of the worst shots and make dumb mistakes. I would recover and make great putts or chips or something. As far as now stepping away from it, the fact that I increased my lead is a huge thing.
“Overall, I’m satisfied. I’m still a little pissed off over the bogey on the last, but I’ll get over it. Tomorrow is an awesome new challenge. I get to play with one of the best players in the world (Scheffler, with a 12:30 p.m., MT tee time) on one of the best courses in the world in one of the best championships. It’s a dream come true.”
Setting up the opportunity, Clark sank six par putts ranging from roughly 5 feet to 14 feet in the stretch from the sixth through the 14th holes on Saturday. Most of them were in the 5-7-foot range, but with the greens and the wind at Shinnecock, those are anything but sure things.
“Wyndham Clark is playing like stress doesn’t have his address,” Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee observed after the round.
Not surprisingly, Clark leads the field in strokes gained putting through 54 holes.
And on a day when several full shots ran astray — “I’ve hit some terrible shots today; this is ridiculous,” NBC reported Clark said on the 18th hole — his work around the greens was stellar, whether from challenging spots in bunkers or on runoffs around putting surfaces.
And when he birdied the 526-yard, par-4 14th from 5 feet, going up by six strokes, he slapped hands with fans en route to the 15th tee. He dropped a shot with a missed 4-foot par attempt on No. 15, but it was one of the few times his putter let him down. After that, he eagled 16 from 4 feet and got up and down for par from roughly the same length on 17 before three-putting from 59 feet on No. 18.
All in all, what isn’t to like about the way Clark’s game is trending, as he’s followed up PGA Tour finishes of first, third and 11th place in recent weeks?
Earlier in the day Saturday, his challengers had gotten as close as two. But after his bogey on No. 8, he scrambled his way to going 1 under the rest of the way, while many of the other players on the leaderboard — aside from Scheffler — were losing ground.
Now, the challenge that awaits on Sunday is converting a big lead into a victory.
“I’ve gotten more and more comfortable every time I’m in those positions,” Clark said. “Tomorrow is going to be a new challenge. There’s going to be some ups and downs. I’m really hoping that I kind of bring my ‘A game’ finally. … I’m really hoping I’m just sharp. If I can have my game, then I really love the opportunity. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Meanwhile, Golfweek reported Saturday that Clark has made some amends for the damage he did at last year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, where he damaged lockers after missing the 36-hole cut by a stroke.
Specifically, as he said he would, Clark paid for the repair of the lockers. He also made a contribution — either to the Oakmont caddies or to the Western Golf Association, which administers the Evans Scholarship for caddies — and took anger-management courses online.
“I think Wyndham has paid the price and he wants it behind him and we’re not anxious to stir the pot,” Bob Ford, Oakmont’s pro emeritus, told Golfweek. “I hope he does great this week.”
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