On Sunday, Wyndham Clark unexpectedly won his first major tournament at the U.S. Open by defeating Rickie Fowler and fending off Rory McIlroy.
Instead of a famous golfer savouring the occasion in front of jubilant spectators on the 18th green, Clark, a relative unknown, was doing it at the Los Angeles Country Club.
With a final round score of 10-under, Clark, 29, finished one stroke ahead of McIlroy and five strokes ahead of Fowler. Despite making bogeys on holes 15 and 16, he managed to hold onto his lead over McIlroy, which had previously been three strokes.
He was aware that many onlookers were supporting Fowler, a Southern California native, during the final round, and he managed to hold on to win thanks to pars at holes 17 and 18.
“Obviously I put my own pressure on myself, but yeah, I guess it’s nice being the underdog,” Clark said after the final round. “It was great walking by hearing a lot of people chant for Rickie’s name because it kind of fueled the fire underneath me that I could do it.”
Clark, who turned pro in 2017, had previously competed in six major championships and finished no better than tied for 75th. He won his first PGA Tour event in May at the Wells Fargo Championship.
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