Clark carded an even-par final round of 70 to win the 2023 U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club, beating Rory McIlroy by one stroke.
Wyndham Clark secured his first major title with a one-shot victory at the 123rd US Open, holding off Rory McIlroy in a thrilling final round at Los Angeles Country Club.
Clark, who recently made his breakthrough on the PGA Tour with a win at the Wells Fargo Championship, began the day sharing the lead and maintained his position at the top throughout Sunday’s gripping contest.
The final leaderboard showed Clark finishing at 10 under par, one shot ahead of McIlroy, who struggled with his putting throughout the day and only managed one birdie. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished three strokes back in third place, with Open champion Cameron Smith in fourth at six under par.
McIlroy started strongly with a birdie on the first hole and briefly joined Clark in the lead when Clark three-putted for a bogey on the second hole. However, McIlroy missed several birdie opportunities and fell behind as Clark made key putts to maintain a one-shot advantage.
Clark faced some challenges, including a difficult situation on the eighth hole where he had to make a clutch bogey after struggling to extricate his ball from thick grass near the green. McIlroy also had difficulties, missing short putts and failing to capitalize on birdie chances.
Despite the pressure, Clark displayed exceptional short-game skills, producing miraculous saves from challenging situations. He scrambled for par on the 11th hole, while McIlroy’s bogey on the 14th further widened the gap between them.
Scheffler and Smith also had solid performances, with Scheffler finishing at seven under par and securing his fourth consecutive top-three finish. Smith made a strong push on the back nine with three birdies in a five-hole stretch, ultimately securing fourth place.
Rickie Fowler, who started the day tied for the lead, struggled early on with three bogeys in his first seven holes. Although he managed a birdie on the eighth, subsequent dropped shots hindered his progress. Fowler finished at five under par, tied for fifth with Min Woo Lee and Tommy Fleetwood, who made history by carding multiple rounds of 63 in the US Open.
Jon Rahm climbed into the top 10 with a five-under 65, while defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick ended in a share of 17th place alongside PGA champion Brooks Koepka after a level-par 70.
Looking ahead, the PGA Tour moves to TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship, featuring a strong field that includes McIlroy and Scheffler, as well as 23 of the world’s top 30 players.
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