Clark had just one PGA Tour win under his belt, and this was only his seventh appearance in a major.
Hot on his heels was Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion and crowd favorite whose only hiccup Sunday was a bogey on No.14.
As for Clark, he notched his first PGA Tour win last month at the Wells Fargo Championship. Surely, the newcomer’s knees would be knocking down the stretch.
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But Clark, who once almost gave up the game because of the heartache of losing his mother to cancer, steadied himself after a wobbly stretch on the back nine and parred the final two holes to hold on for the victory.
“I feel like I belong on this stage, and even two, three years ago when people didn’t know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world,” said Clark, 29, who shot an even-par 70 to beat McIlroy by one stroke. “I felt like I’ve shown that this year.”
Wyndham Clark celebrates after winning the U.S. Open on Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Wyndham Clark hugs his caddie after winning the U.S. Open on Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Clark sealed the victory with a one-foot putt, the 18th green ringed by wall-to-wall fans — including McIlroy backers who had warmed to him — and a sea of raised cellphones.
This was the most undeterred Clark since Griswold.
“Wyndham’s won twice now in the last six weeks, and they’re both unbelievable fields,” said Casey Martin, who coached Clark at Oregon for a season after he transferred from Oklahoma State. “So I’ve got to believe the win at Wells Fargo really allowed him to weather those storms. I think he was just so prepared for this.”
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Like Clark and McIlroy, No. 1-ranked Scottie Scheffler shot a 70 in the June gloom to finish in third place at seven under, three strokes behind Clark.
The nine-year drought continues for McIlroy, who won four majors early in his career but since is 0 for 33 despite finishing in the top 10 in 19 of those.
“I’m getting closer,” said McIlroy, who was similarly solid but not spectacular on Sunday at St. Andrews last summer, finishing third in the British Open. “The more I keep putting myself in these positions, sooner or later it’s going to happen for me.”
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Wyndham Clark holds the U.S. Open championship trophy after winning at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark celebrates immediately after winning the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits from the 10th tee during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy gets a ruling from a golf official after lodging a ball into the side of a greenside bunker on the 14th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy looks at his golf ball on the 12th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits from the 13th-hole fairway during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark chips out of the rough and on to the sixth green during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler looks at his golf ball while on the 12th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler reacts after hitting seventh-hole tee shot during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits out of the rough on the 14th hole during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark hits from the second tee during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark celebrates with his caddie after winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark, right, celebrates with his caddie after winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark covers his face with his hat immediately after winning the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 18. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Fans cheer after Xander Schauffele sinks a 35-foot put on the second hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits from the 10th hole tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark reacts while putting on the 10th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits from the third tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark hits from the eighth tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Harris English watches his shot from the 15th tee during the third round of the U.S. Open on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Jason Day chips out of a greenside bunker on the 14th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits from the eighth tee during the third round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on June 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits from the 11th tee during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark hits from the seventh tee during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Austin Eckroat, left, and Wyndham Clark walk though the rough on the fourth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Jon Rahm hits out of the rough on the 15th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Wyndham Clark chips onto the second green during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Joaquin Niemann hits out of the rough near the sixth green during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler walks to the 18th green during the second round of the U.S. Open on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Alex Noren hits out of a greenside bunker on sixth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 16. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Tony Finau hits out of a greenside bunker on the 16th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler consults with his caddie before hitting out of the sandy rough on the ninth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits from the 16th tee during the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Despite the gloomy weather, spectators walk along the North Course at the Los Angeles Country Club during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Jason Day hits out of a greenside bunker on the eighth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler walks on a bridge to the ninth green during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. Fowler shared the lead with Xander Schauffele after the first round following a stellar eight-under-par 62. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler hits out of the rough on the ninth hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Golfers Gary Woodland, Corey Connors and Adam Scott check the slope of the green and their putting lines on the 14th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rickie Fowler, third from left, walks with Jason Day to the seventh green during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Brooks Koepka, left, and Rory McIlroy walk up to the ninth green during the first round of the U.S. Open. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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An excited golf fan tries to get an autograph from Xander Schauffele as he walks to the 17th tee box during a practice round at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 14. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Golfers line up their putts on the 11th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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June gloom shrouds the downtown L.A. skyline as the first round of the U.S. Open gets underway at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Rory McIlroy hits from the 16th tee during the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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With the downtown L.A. skyline in the background, Rory McIlroy walks along the 14th fairway during the first round of the U.S. Open on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Spectators walk the course near a grandstand during the first round of the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 15. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Golf fans watch Rory McIlroy putt on the second hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 14. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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Golf fans cross a bridge over Wilshire Boulevard to exit the course after attending a practice round for the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 14. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Whereas McIlroy was even-keeled, Clark was as up and down as the undulating North Course. After a birdie on the par-five 14th, for instance, he became the only player on the day to bogey the short par-three 15th.
McIlroy cut the lead to one shot with two to play, but both players parred the final two holes.
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Rickie Fowler, still in search of his first major win, began the day tied for the lead with Clark but slowly slid backward, shooting a 75 in the final round to finish in a three-way tie for fifth at five under.
Even before the Open, L.A. was a special place for Clark. His parents, Randall and Lise, were married at Riviera Country Club, and even though Sunday was Father’s Day, Clark’s mother was on his mind throughout the week.
Lise Clark died of breast cancer at 55. Wyndham was 19 at the time and unmoored by her passing. The pressure of golf didn’t help, and he seriously contemplated giving up the game.
Now, a decade later, her memory is a motivating force for him.
“I know my mom is proud of me,” he said after the victory. “She’s always been proud of me, regardless of how I’m doing or what I’m doing. I just wish she could be here and we could enjoy this.
“It’s been a pretty amazing week because my mom lived in L.A. for a few years, and I’ve had some people come up to me and show pictures of my mom when they knew her back in her 20s and early 30s when she was living here. That just happened this week, so it was kind of a special vibe all week being here in L.A.”
His college coach said Clark has learned how to regulate his emotions and it’s showing in his game.
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“He’s a hard-driver, athlete, achiever type, and that probably would get in his way because he wants it so bad and feels like he’s always underachieving,” Martin said. “It’s just been a process for him to mature and grow through that and learn to relax on the golf course and let it happen instead of feeling like he’s got to make it happen.”
Rickie Fowler hits from the 13th fairway during the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Clark played the final round with Fowler, a fan favorite from Murrieta.
“Rickie had some of the most pressure being a California boy and everyone wanted him probably more than anyone,” said Clark, who played a little mind trick on himself when he heard those cheers for Fowler.
“My mental coach, Julie, told me, ‘Every time you hear someone chant “Rickie,” think of your goals and get cocky and go show them who you are.’ I did that. It was like 100-plus times today I reminded myself of the goals.
“Now maybe they’ll be chanting my name in the future.”
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his “long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football,” Sam Farmer has covered the NFL for 25 seasons. A graduate of Occidental College, he’s a two-time winner of California Sportswriter of the Year and first place for beat writing by Associated Press Sports Editors.
