Show notes
Wyndham Clark Leads the US Open by Six. Only One Person Is Hunting Him Down.
Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/WINGO #squarepod #sponsored
Head to cozyearth.com and use code WINGO for an exclusive 20% off.
Going into Sunday’s final round at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, one thing is clear. Wyndham Clark is in control. Six strokes. One round left. And the most dominant stretch of putting anyone has seen on the PGA Tour in years still very much intact.
But Scottie Scheffler gave us exactly what we needed on Saturday. And Sunday just got a lot more interesting.
The Wyndham Clark Situation
Let’s start with the numbers because they are staggering. Wyndham Clark is seven under par — the best 36-hole score ever recorded at a US Open at Shinnecock. He maintained that lead through a Saturday where the USGA tightened the screws significantly, averaging about a shot and a half higher scoring than Friday. Clark birdied 16 with a ridiculous second shot from 273 yards to make eagle, then bogeyed 18 to finish even par on the day. He heads into Sunday with a six-stroke lead.
Here is the historical context. Since the first Masters in 1934, there have been 13 previous instances of players leading a major by six or more strokes heading into the final round. Twelve of them won. The only one who didn’t was Greg Norman, who held a six-stroke lead at the 1996 Masters and lost to Nick Faldo. And the symbolism runs even deeper — Norman lost to the world number one player at the time. The world number one heading into Sunday’s final round at Shinnecock is Scottie Scheffler.
Every other historical marker points to a Wyndham Clark victory lap. Players to lead the US Open by multiple strokes after rounds one, two, and three: Willie Anderson in 1903 — won. Jim Barnes in 1921 — won. Tony Jacklin in 1970 — won. Rory McIlroy in 2011 — won. Martin Kaymer in 2014 — won. Wyndham Clark in 2026 is in that company.
The largest final-round comeback in US Open history is seven strokes — Arnold Palmer chasing down Ben Hogan at Cherry Hills in 1960. That is the only data point that keeps Sunday from being a formality.
The Bi-Coastal Club
One more thing worth noting about what Wyndham Clark is trying to accomplish, courtesy of Justin Ray — who Trey calls the greatest golf researcher in the history of the sport for good reason. If Clark wins Sunday, he joins Billy Casper and Tiger Woods as the only men to win US Opens on both the East Coast and the West Coast. Casper won at Olympic Club and Winged Foot. Tiger won at Pebble Beach and Bethpage Black and Torrey Pines. Clark won at LACC in 2023. Shinnecock is the East Coast. The bi-coastal US Open champion club has exactly two members right now.
Here Comes Scottie
Now for the reason Sunday is worth watching. Scottie Scheffler has been quietly grinding all week without the iron play that has defined his best golf. But on Saturday, something clicked. His strokes gained approach by round this week tells the story — 103rd in round one, 29th in round two, first in round three. He was the best approach player in the entire field on Saturday. He birdied three straight holes on the back nine — the longest birdie run he has ever had at a US Open. He chipped in from off the green on 14, and the reaction — from him, from the crowd, from everyone watching — was electric. It was the most emotion we have seen from Scottie Scheffler in weeks.
Only two players shot under par on Saturday. Emiliano Grillo with a 67 and Scottie Scheffler with a 69. Wyndham Clark shot even par 70. Scottie played himself into the final group on Sunday, which matters more than it might seem — 23 of the last 30 major winners on the men’s side have come out of the final group.
This is also Scottie’s first attempt to complete the career grand slam. Of the six men who have done it — Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy — three did it on their first try. Two took three attempts. Rory, the famous outlier, needed 11. The history says if you are going to do this, you tend to do it sooner rather than later.
The Rest of the Field
Matt Fitzpatrick faded down the stretch on Saturday. Xander Schauffele, whose US Open record is historically remarkable, could not get under par. Colin Morikawa made a brief charge before stumbling. And then there is Sam Stevens — who has made over ten and a half million dollars on the PGA Tour, which Trey acknowledges he was not aware of before this week — hanging around in the mix.
But the honest truth is this is Wyndham Clark, Scottie Scheffler, and the golf course on Sunday.
What We Need
Trey makes the point directly — if Wyndham Clark goes wire to wire without being challenged, this is a Martin Kaymer at Pinehurst moment. A comfortable drive down the Autobahn. The US Open deserves more than that. Shinnecock deserves more than that.
What we need is a charge. What we need is a chip-in, a putt that drops, a moment where the six-stroke lead suddenly feels fragile. Arnold Palmer did it to Ben Hogan in 1960. Johnny Miller did it at Oakmont in 1973. The US Open has a history of producing those moments when the course is right and the right player catches fire.
The course is right. And Scottie Scheffler just reminded everyone on Saturday that he might be that player.
Sunday at Shinnecock. Father’s Day. Six strokes. One round. One grand slam on the line. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
for information about our collection and use of personal data for
advertising.