Wyndham Clark shot out to 6-under par on day one and never fell behind. On Sunday, he won the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, becoming just the ninth golfer to go wire to wire in the tournament — holding the lead after every round.
Clark finished at 4-under, edging Sam Burns by one stroke while battling brisk winds and a hostile crowd to win his second U.S. Open — his first came in Los Angeles in 2023.
Many local fans were pulling for Scottie Scheffler, the number-one golfer in the world, who played alongside Clark in the final round. At several holes, they sang "Happy Birthday" to Scheffler, who was chasing the career grand slam on his 30th birthday. He finished at even par, tied for fourth with Keith Mitchell and J.T. Poston. While fans cheered for Scheffler, they also rooted against Clark.
"I mean, the crowd was tough today. I mean, New Yorkers, they are tough people. There was a good turnout from the fans. You like seeing the fans cheer for you," Scheffler said in his post-round interview on Sunday. "I think sometimes it can get a little too much when, you know, balls are kind of going off greens and you start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me."
Clark became particularly unpopular after last year's U.S. Open at Oakmont, just outside of Pittsburgh, when he missed the cut and kicked in the fronts of two 121-year-old lockers in the historic clubhouse. He was banned from Oakmont until they were repaired.
"Man, they definitely didn't want me to win. It's pretty rare in an Open championship or a major to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots," Clark said after the win. "Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive. You know, some of it's self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself, but I also get it, too. Scottie was going for the career grand slam, and it hasn't happened very often."
A trio of East Hampton High School alumni from the class of 2023 — Hunter Eberhart, Calum Anderson, and Aryan Chugh — were among the fans rooting for Scheffler.
"If not Scottie, then who?" Chugh said.
While they were disappointed with the outcome, they had no complaints about the experience. Eberhart worked for the U.S.G.A., doing transport during the week, and was blown away by how well everything came together.
"They did a great job. The whole place looks amazing. The setup — even the traffic on the roads hasn't been as bad as we expected, so everybody's done a great job from top to bottom," he said.
Anderson was equally impressed. "It's been fantastic. It's unbelievable to be driving 15, 20, 30 minutes from my house and be at the Sunday closing of a major. It's insane. It's so cool. It really is."
Championship Sunday was a special day for players and fans celebrating Father's Day. Miles Russell, a 17-year-old amateur golfer playing in his first U.S. Open, surprised his dad, Joe, and asked him to caddie on the 18th hole.
Clark's dad surprised him on the 18th green. "He's never been there to see me win," Clark said. "To finally have him there for a win is amazing, but especially on Father's Day. I know in '23 it was obviously a great Father's Day present for him, but I know he wanted to be there in person."
Burns's father joined him as soon as he exited the golf course in second place. "Yeah, he just said he was really proud. Sorry," Burns said, pausing to choke back tears, "just said he was proud, and I think, I think we both knew how special it could have been for Father's Day, but I know he's proud."
The Herrmann family brought three generations to Shinnecock Hills on Father's Day -- Richard, his son Chris, and 10-year-old grandson Barrett. They traveled from Montauk, where they spend summers and where Richard is something of a legend at Montauk Downs.
"My grandpa got a hole-in-one on a par-3," Barrett said.
"Six years ago," Richard explained. "So, I'm in the hole-in-one club at Montauk Downs. And I make sure Barrett sees that on the plaque all the time."
The real prize, he said, was watching the U.S. Open together and dreaming that one day his grandson could play on this level.
"It's indescribable. It's the best, the absolute best," Richard said. "Barrett's the inspiration. He's going to be the golfer that could someday get to be here. He's already the best in the family."
The U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock in 2036, when Barrett Herrmann will be 20 years old. Maybe, just maybe, he'll be on the other side of the ropes for that one.
