Wyndham Clark holds off Rory McIlroy to win 2023 U.S. Open

Wyndham Clark is officially a major champion. The 29-year-old put together a remarkable run at Los Angeles Country Club this week, fending off Rory McIlory, Rickie Fowler, Scott Scheffler and others to win the 2023 U.S. Open.

Clark’s impressive feat didn’t come without some dramatics. He entered the final hole with a one-shot lead over McIlroy, needing a par or better to secure the victory without a playoff. For anyone, the pressure would be unimaginable.

But Clark was able to set aside nerves and knock a birdie putt close to the hole on the 18th, setting up a tap-in to claim the U.S. Open. He finished the tournament at -10.

Below is Clark’s winning moment:

The winning moment for Wyndham 👏 #USOpenpic.twitter.com/KqOGQ25Hu1

— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) June 19, 2023

Sunday’s victory marked the first major championship in Clark’s career. It was also just his second victory on the PGA Tour.

Clark couldn’t control his emotions following Sunday’s victory. He tried to fight back tears as he celebrated the impressive feat — defeating some of the world’s top golfers in one of the most difficult tests on the schedule.

Clark won the U.S. Open by starting the tournament off hot, shooting a 6-under-par 64 in the opening round. He was -9 through the first two rounds and carded a 69 on Saturday to reach -10 heading into the final round.

On Sunday, he shot an even-par 70, good enough to claim the title.

Behind Clark, McIlroy finished the tournament at -9 and Scheffler carded a -7. Cameron Smith finished in fourth at -6 while Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood and Min Woo Lee finished in a tie for fifth at -5.

Rory, Rickie come up short in U.S. Open

Both McIlroy and Fowler entered Sunday’s round in contention to win the 2023 U.S. Open. McIlroy was chasing his first major victory since 2014. Fowler was hoping to claim a victory in his first-ever major championship.

Like Clark, McIlroy concluded his final round by shooting 70. He had plenty of opportunities to make a run at the championship, but his putter wasn’t nearly as smooth as it was earlier in the week.

McIlroy opened Sunday’s round with a birdie on the opening hole, but that was the only hole he carded a score under par. He bogeyed the 14th and ended the round with 16 pars.

Fowler entered Sunday’s round in the catbird seat at -10 for the tournament. It was some of the best golf we’ve seen from the 34-year-old in quite some time. But it wasn’t meant to be on Sunday.

Fowler recorded seven bogeys on Sunday and ended the round with a 5-over-par 75 to conclude the tournament. His -5 was good enough for a fifth-place finish.

It was a disappointing end for Fowler, who opened the tournament shooting a 62 on Thursday. He and Xander Schauffele set U.S. Open records with that score to start the U.S. Open.

The final major of the year comes next month at the Open Championship.