Rory McIlroy’s nine-year search for a fifth major will go on to Royal Liverpool next month after he was beaten by one shot by little known American Wyndham Clark at the US Open in Los Angeles.
Clark, whose only previous tour win had come at last month’s Wells Fargo Championship, carded a level-par 70 to finish on -10 and claim his first major title at what was only his seventh attempt, having missed the cut in four of them with a highest placed finished of 75th.
McIlroy, playing in his 58th major, but without a win since 2014, trailed Clark and Rickie Fowler by one shot going into the final round, and after a birdie at the first, was soon tied for the lead. But that was to be his last birdie of the day as a cold putter, and a costly bogey on the 14th, left him marooned on level par, and agonisingly short of major redemption.
“I’m right there, it’s such fine margins. I’m getting closer,” said McIlroy, after recording his third runner-up finish in a major. “The more I keep putting myself in these positions, sooner or later it’s going to happen for me. When I do finally win this next major, it’s going to be really, really sweet. I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship.”
Having put himself into such a strong position to win, McIlroy’s only possible regret will be that he was unable to exert enough pressure on Clark on a day when he found more greens in regulation than any other player.
“There are a couple of things I will rue,” he added. “The chip on 14 being one. It was really hard to get the ball close, but I hung in there and just didn’t quite get the job done. I will keep coming back until I get another one.”
None of this should, however, take away from the achievement of Clarke, currently ranked 32 in the world, who repeatedly belied his lack of major championship experience to announce himself on one of the game’s biggest stages in fine style. Time after time he was able to limit the damage when he missed fairways and greens, including at the eighth, where after taking two attempts to play out of rough to the left of the green he was able to chip to three feet to ensure he dropped only one shot.
“That up and down for bogey was probably the key to the tournament,” said Clark, who becomes the fifth successive player to win their first major at the US Open.
Clark also worked himself out of another tricky situation at the par-three ninth, holing a downhill seven-foot putt to salvage par after hitting his tee shot into the rough on the edge of a greenside bunker.
Dropped shots on 15 and 16 revived the possibility of late drama, but a visibly emotional Clark, who had poignantly talked of wanting to win for his late mother, Lise, who died of breast cancer in 2013, hugged caddie John Ellis and family members on the 18th green after parring the last to seal his victory.
“I just feel like it was my time. I have dreamed of this moment for so long and there are so many times I have visualised being here in front of you guys and winning this championship.”
That the championship turned into a two-horse race for most of final day was mainly down to joint third round leader Rickie Fowler’s surprising and early capitulation, with the Californian, who was bidding to win his first major at his 48th attempt, slipping tamely away with three bogeys in the first seven holes. Four further dropped shots on the back nine saw the 34-year-old, who, along with Xander Schauffele, had opened the week with record-breaking 62s, finish with a 75 and a share of fifth place.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler continued to show admirable consistency to take third, three shots behind the winner, after a closing 70, while Open champion Cam Smith took solo fourth after shooting a 67. Tommy Fleetwood, who made the cut by the minimum margin, enjoyed a fine weekend, shooting rounds of 70 and 63 to fly up into a share of fifth place, with only a missed four-foot birdie putt at the last robbing him of the chance to join the 62 Club.
World number two Jon Rahm, who cut a frustrated figure for much of the week, signed for a five-under 65 to finish at three under in a tie for 10th alongside Brooks Koepka. Defending US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick finished in a tied for 17th and left the somewhat quirky Hollywood course probably hoping, like many in the field, that the USGA will decide not to bring the championship back here again for a long, long time.
The post US OPEN: AGONY FOR MCILROY AS CLARK HOLDS NERVE TO CLAIM FIRST MAJOR TITLE appeared first on Golf News.
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