Wyndham Clark takes 1-shot lead over Rory McIlroy into back 9 on final day of US Open

By: Greg Beacham, The Associated Press Posted: 6:48 PM CDT Sunday, Jun. 18, 2023

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wyndham Clark had a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy with nine holes left Sunday in the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wyndham Clark had a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy with nine holes left Sunday in the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wyndham Clark had a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy with nine holes left Sunday in the 123rd U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

Clark, a 29-year-old Denver native playing in only his seventh major, separated from third-round co-leader Rickie Fowler with three early birdies while Fowler bogeyed three of his first seven holes.

Clark then persevered through trouble before the turn to stay in the lead. He bogeyed the par-5 eighth after getting stuck in some tough greenside rough, and he got up-and-down from a bad lie on the ninth to preserve his one-stroke advantage over McIlroy, who went into the turn with eight straight pars.

Rickie Fowler chips to the green on the second hole during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday, June 18, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Clark and Fowler began the final round atop the leaderboard at 10 under, with McIlroy just one shot behind. Clark and Fowler were both chasing their first major titles, while McIlroy was seeking to end a prolonged major drought after getting all four of his titles from 2011-14.

Clark made a 2 1/2-foot birdie putt on the first hole, and he added two more birdies before a misadventure on the eighth that included a failed chip that went 8 inches in heavy rough. He then pulled his tee shot on the par-3 ninth into the rough, but got up and down.

McIlroy was much steadier than his fellow leaders. But the back nine at LACC is tougher and McIlroy was a combined 2 over on the inward nine during the first three rounds.

Fowler had at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds, but the Southern California native faded with three bogeys in his first seven holes Sunday. He three-putted the fifth hole and then hit his approach shot into a native area on the seventh, pushing him down the board before he arrested his fall with a birdie on the eighth.

Clark earned his first PGA Tour victory last month at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the confidence gained from that result has been obvious in Los Angeles. Clark never finished higher than 75th in his first six major championship appearances, but he started this U.S. Open with a 64 before staying right with Fowler for the next two days.

The best early performer on the final day was Tommy Fleetwood, who shot a sizzling 63 to finish at 5-under 275. He had two eagles in his round, and he missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th to miss the new Open record of 62.

The 32-year-old Englishman also shot 63 in the final round of the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, making him the fourth player to shoot multiple rounds of 63 in major championships.

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