The Chasing Pack: Chasing a Historic Deficit at US Open

Wyndham Clark holds a commanding six-stroke lead at 7-under par heading into the final round of the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. On a punishing Moving Day where brutal 30-mph winds battered the field and sent scores soaring, Clark’s steady even-par 70 cemented his status as the man to beat.

Only five players remain under par through 54 holes on the historic Long Island layout.

A four-way tie for second place sits at 1-under par, facing a steep mountain on Championship Sunday. No player in U.S. Open history has ever surrendered a lead greater than five shots after 54 holes.

Scottie Scheffler (-1): The World No. 1 put together a gritty 1-under 69, fueled by a furious back-nine charge featuring three straight birdies. He will play in the final pairing with Clark on his 30th birthday, aiming for a legendary comeback to complete the career Grand Slam.

Scottie Scheffler’s theme of the year is chasing the career Grand Slam. Having already collected two Masters titles, the PGA Championship, and the Open Championship, a victory at Shinnecock Hills would make him just the sixth player in golfing history to complete the historic modern slam.

Scheffler’s opening round 72 left him six shots behind first-round leader Wyndham Clark. His struggles were epitomized on the uphill, par-5 16th hole. Fighting a 25-mph headwind, Scheffler hit a fairway wood into a deep greenside bunker, leading to a rare and costly bogey on a hole most pros expect to birdie

Sahith Theegala (-1): Displayed immense patience, carding 11 consecutive pars before capping off his round with a vital birdie on the 18th hole to jump into the final group conversation.

Tom Kim (-1): Battled back into a share of second place despite a 2-over 72 on the day, highlighted by a gritty back-nine birdie on the 13th.

Sam Stevens (-1): Managed the shifting winds gracefully to sign for a 72, keeping his major championship dreams alive.

The absolute best round of the day belonged to Emiliano Grillo, who delivered a stunning 3-under 67 early in the morning before the leaders even teed off. Battling the absolute peak of the 30-mph gusts, Grillo launched a massive 40-spot ascent up the leaderboard into a tie for 6th at even-par overall.

Grillo’s spectacular day was a story of personal redemption. After missing the cut at Shinnecock in 2018—an experience he admitted he absolutely “hated”—he kept his composure after an early double-bogey on Thursday to put himself on the edge of contention.

Shinnecock Hills spent most of Saturday afternoon handing out heavy punches to the field, but Clark delivered a definitive counter-punch on the par-5 16th hole.

Standing in the fairway 275 yards away from the pin, Clark lashed a spectacular 3-wood approach shot. The ball masterfully skipped past a dangerous greenside bunker and settled a mere 4 feet from the cup.

He calmly drained the putt for the first and only eagle on the 16th hole all week, briefly extending his lead to seven strokes before a late bogey on the 18th capped his score at 7-under 203—the lowest 54-hole total ever recorded at a Shinnecock U.S. Open. It was the first eagle recorded on that hole in U.S. Open play across 516 attempts dating back to 2018.

While Clark soared, other major champions hit a wall. Rory McIlroy was firmly in the hunt after three straight birdies on the front nine moved him to 2-under. However, the back nine turned disastrous. McIlroy bogeyed the 10th after missing a short pitch, three-putted the 12th, and bled more strokes down the stretch to finish with a 3-over 73, tumbling to a tie for 17th at 3-over par.

With a six-shot cushion, the tournament is entirely in Wyndham Clark’s hands. He will need to withstand the immense pressure of a pursuing Scottie Scheffler and a golf course that is only getting firmer and faster.

Photo: Instagram

Radu Roman