Rory McIlroy’s nine-year search for a major fifth to Royal Liverpool will continue next month after he was beaten a single shot by little-known American Wyndham Clarke at the US Open in Los Angeles.
Clarke, whose only win was in his previous outing at the Wells Fargo Championship last month, earned a par-70 card to finish at -10 and claim his first major title in just his seventh attempt, after missing the cut in four of them. The highest ranked finish was at 75y.
McIlroy, playing 58y A major, but winless since 2014, Clarke and Ricky Fowler trailed by one shot going into the final round and, after birdieing first, quickly tied for the lead. But it was his last birdie of the day as a cold putter and an expensive bogey on the 14thyleaving him equally stranded, and agonizingly lacking in key redemption.
“I’m there, it’s great margins,” McIlroy said, after scoring a third-place finish in a major competition. “The more I keep putting myself in these situations, sooner or later it’s going to happen to me. When I finally win that next major, it’s going to be really cool. I would go through 100 days like this to get my hands on another major championship.”
Having put himself in such a strong position to win, McIlroy’s only possible regret would be that he wasn’t able to put enough pressure on Clarke on a day when he found more greens in regulation than any other player.
“There are two things I will regret,” he added. “Chip on 14 being one. It was really hard to get the ball, but I stuck there and didn’t quite get the job done. I’ll keep coming back until I get another one.”
However, none of this should detract from the achievement of Clarke, currently ranked 32 in the world, who has repeatedly belied his lack of major championship experience to announce himself on one of the game’s biggest stages in fine style. Time and time again, he was able to limit the damage when he missed the greens, including on the eighth, where after two attempts to play from the rough to the left of the green he was able to lift to three feet to ensure a fall. Just one chance.
“That up and down for the bogey was probably the key to the tournament,” said Clark, who became the fifth consecutive player to win his first major at the US Open.
Clark also worked out of another tough situation in the ninth, holed a seven-foot down putt to the save after his jersey was hit on the edge of a greenside bunker.
Dropped picks on the 15th and 16th have revived the potential for late-night drama, but a visibly emotional Clark, who spoke movingly of his desire to win for his late mother Liz, who died of breast cancer in 2013, hugged caddy John Ellis and family members on the 18th green. After competing with the latter to achieve his victory.
“I just feel like it was my time. I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long and there are so many times I’ve fantasized about being here in front of you guys and winning this tournament.”
The tournament turned into a two-horse race for most of the final day due to joint leader Rickie Fowler’s surprising and early third-round surrender, with California, who was chasing his first major championship at 48 years old.y Try to slip away with three bogeys on the first seven holes. Four more shots on the backstretch, nine times, saw the 34-year-old, who opened the week with Xander Schauffele with a record-breaking 62 seconds, earning a par of 75 and a share of fifth place.
World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler continued to show impressive consistency to take third, just three shots behind the winner, after closing out a 70, while Open Cam champion Smith finished solo fourth after shooting a 67. Tommy Fleetwood, who made the cut by the narrowest margin, He had a great weekend, shooting rounds 70 and 63 to move up to fifth, with a four-foot birdie miss last time robbing him of the chance to join the 62 club.
World number two John Rahm, who has cut a disappointing record for most days in the week, signed five for the under-65 to finish in third place under par for 10.y Together with Brooks Koepka. Defending US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick finished tied for 17y And I left the somewhat quirky Hollywood course hoping, like many in the field, that the USGA would decide not to bring the tournament back here again for a very long time.