Wyndham Clark turning the US Open into a runaway. Scheffler still has hope for a slam

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Wyndham Clark proved to be even tougher than Shinnecock Hills in the U.S. Open with four pivotal par saves in a five-hole stretch and a majestic 3-wood to 4 feet that set up the only eagle all week on the par-5 16th hole. Each shot stretched his lead over Scottie Scheffler and everyone else.

All the while, Clark couldn't help but notice thousands of fans leaving the course Saturday evening and the grandstands no longer full.

Perhaps they were trying to catch the train. Or maybe they sensed this U.S. Open was over.

Even with a bogey on the final hole that gave Clark an even-par 70, he left Shinnecock Hills with a six-shot lead going into Sunday.

Riding shotgun with him will be Scheffler, who finally got on track by making three straight birdies, shooting 32 on the back nine and at least keeping alive hope of a career Grand Slam.

But it’s a big mountain to climb.

No one has ever lost more than a five-shot lead in 125 previous editions of the U.S. Open. Greg Norman in the 1996 Masters is the only player to lose a six-shot lead in any major.

“It’s all in Wyndham’s hands, really,” said Xander Schauffele, who faded with a pair of double bogeys on the back nine. “If he plays a really solid round of golf tomorrow — if he shoots even par or 1 over or 2 over — he’s going to win the golf tournaments. That’s how I think it’s going to pan out.”

It was an astonishing performance, starting with three par saves around the turn as Scheffler was sending the gallery into a frenzy with his timely run that led to a 69. It was one of only two rounds under par as Shinnecock — even without the raging wind from the morning — showed some bite.

But it was subdued at the end.

“It was kind of unfortunate that we're finishing in the dark and people weren't really out there,” Clark said, alluding to the decision for the leaders to tee off at 3:45 p.m. “Because there were some obviously key, big moments, and it did kind of get a little flat. ... ”I'm still excited to be where I'm at.”

He was at 7-under 203, the lowest 54-hole score ever at Shinnecock Hills.

Clark now has one more round to add another U.S. Open title to the one he captured at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023. At his side will be Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, trying to turn Sunday into a most magical day.

At stake for Scheffler is a chance — a long shot at that — to get the final leg of the career Grand Slam — on Father’s Day, which also happens to be his 30th birthday.

“I think it’s appropriate to understand what’s at stake," Scheffler said, aware as anyone of what's in front of him. "We want to be in these positions. This is why we practice and play, to have the opportunity to win golf tournaments, and that’s what tomorrow is.”

Scheffler has won all four of his majors from in front. Now he's chasing on a course that demands precision and a lot of patience. And the player he's chasing has expanded his lead each day — two shots on Thursday, four shots on Friday and now at six shots.

Clark, in position to be the first wire-to-wire U.S. Open champion in 12 years, still doesn't think he has played his best golf.

From thick rough right of the 18th fairway, his wedge went right and some 60 feet away from the pin. “Gosh, I’ve hit some terrible shots today. This is ridiculous," Clark said to his caddie.

He was leading by seven shots at the time, though he did put himself in some tough spots — 75 feet away on the downwind ninth, over the back of the green and down the slope on the 10th, a bunker on the scary par-3 11th.

He took them all on, particularly behind the 10th green when he made the bold play to bump it into the hill to let it trickle down to 5 feet, instead of a safer flop to avoid the ball rolling back to him.

And when he got in trouble on the 13th after trying to drive the green, he made a 15-foot putt for par. It was like that all day. And the lead kept growing, even with that short miss at the end.

“The only way that you catch somebody like Wyndham is the golf course starts to win against him,” Keith Mitchell said after his third successive round at 70. He joined Clark as the only player at par or better three straight rounds, and Mitchell was eight shots behind.

Clark went from scrambling to soaring with one shot. He was 275 yards away on the 604-yard 16th hole, with helping wind that made it a perfect 5-wood — except he didn't have one in his bag. His caddie suggested taking a little off a 3-wood, and he played a high cut to perfection, getting a nice bounce short of the green as the ball rolled out to 4 feet.

It was the only eagle on the 16th hole all week.

“Really one of the shots of the tournament,” Clark said.

Scheffler, who fell nine shots behind with a pair of bogeys at the start, shot 32 on the back nine by chipping in from 65 feet on the 14th for the start of his three straight birdies. His one big lament was missing a 4-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

“Scottie is the best player in the world, and he’s going to play probably really good. He always does,” Clark said. “But it’s nice to have a six-shot lead on him.”

Scheffler moved into the last group when Shinnecock Hills did a number on everyone else.

Sam Stevens, who closed within two shots of Clark on the front, started the back nine with three straight bogeys and closed with six straight pars for a 72. Tom Kim dropped two shots at the wrong time and shot 72. Sahith Theegala had one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars for a 70. That usually works at any U.S. Open, particularly this one.

All of them were at 1-under 209, leaving only five players under par.

Rory McIlroy was there, but only briefly. He made three straight birdies, including a putter from off the sixth green from 66 feet, and at one point only had one player between him and Clark. But just like the previous round, he lost ground with a series of mistakes and shot 73 to fall 10 behind. He left Shinnecock without speaking.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Wyndham Clark hits from the rough on the 18th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Wyndham Clark hands his club to his caddie on the 10th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Sam Burns hits his tee shot on the 11th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Friday, June 19, 2026.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker on the second hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Wyndham Clark hits from the rough on the ninth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Wyndham Clark hits from the fairway on the 15th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/George Walker IV)

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — The bunched leaderboard, the inability to pull away, the momentum changing with virtually every shot.

Yes, if the U.S. Open plays out Sunday like it did in the third round, then the race for second place will be a nailbiter.

Three players whose names will drive Google searches galore for casual golf fans — Tom Kim, Sam Stevens and Sahith Theegala — found themselves tied with a bigger name, Scottie Scheffler, in a four-way logjam for second with 18 holes to play at Shinnecock.

They all finished Saturday trailing leader Wyndham Clark by six shots.

"As you can see, it’s kind of a jumbled leaderboard," Kim said, “except for where the leader is.”

For the record, a six-shot rally would be one less than the biggest final-round comeback in U.S. Open history. That belongs to Arnold Palmer, back in 1960 at Cherry Hills.

Even if they had resumes approaching Palmer's, the odds would be stacked against these three dreamers. Turns out, they don't.

Kim, Stevens and Theegala have a total of one top-5 finish in majors between them. All in their 20s and looking for a breakthrough, they have a total of 39 starts in majors between them, dating to 2020.

They will play in groups ahead of Scheffler, whose early round of 69 left him in that jumble at 1-under 209 and gave him the last, and featured, tee time with Clark on Sunday.

The other three know they have quite a hill to climb. If Clark falters or Shinnecock Hills rises up — now less likely with the wind expected to calm down — then Scheffler figures to be the best bet to scoop up the trophy and wrap up the career Grand Slam.

“So much of it kind of depends on what Wyndham does,” Stevens said. “I could play a great round tomorrow and shoot 3- or 4-under and still lose by seven.”

But, stranger things have happened.

“There's a disaster waiting to happen on every hole,” Theegala said. “So you just have to be patient.”

A quick look at the group in second place:

At Pepperdine, became only the fifth player in the last 30 years to win the three biggest awards for college players: The Fred Haskins, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus Awards.

But Theegala became a bigger name when he appeared on the Netflix series “Full Swing,” which takes an inside look at players on the PGA Tour. He was still living at home when he made it to the tour, and things like doing his laundry felt new.

Theegala's best major finish was ninth place at the 2023 Masters. His lone win on tour was at 2023 at the Fortinet Championship.

Quotable: “There’s a lot of danger involved in pushing it a little bit, but you do have opportunities to kind of make a push at the end there.”

Kim became a lightning rod for his fiery appearances at the Presidents Cup in 2022 and 2024. There was friction because of the fist-pumping antics he pulled and some difference of opinion over who, if anyone, crossed the line when he teamed with Si Woo Kim in a match against Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.

Kim also made a splash when he waded into a swamp looking for an errant tee shot at the 2023 PGA at Oak Hill. He came out a muddy mess and had to dip into a stream to clean up — a viral moment that he explained by saying: "I mean it’s a major championship. I’m fighting for every single stroke I have.”

Kim finished in a tie for second at the 2023 British Open, though he shot a 67 to pull into that tie and was still six shots behind winner Brian Harman in a major as lopsided as this one is shaping up to be.

Quotable: “I think you’ve just got to look at it as you’ve got to kind of do your own thing. You can’t really force a lot of things out here. You’ve got to keep staying patient, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

A father of four, Stevens is the third generation of a golf family with deep roots in Kansas and across the Midwest.

His grandfather, Johnny “Slim” Stevens, made more than two dozen starts on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and played in the 1969 U,S. Open. His father, Charlie, played college golf at Oklahoma, had a brief stop on the Korn Ferry Tour and won the Kansas Amateur in 2010.

He has made more than $10 million on the PGA Tour but has yet to post his first win. Asked earlier in the week about his surge at Shinnecock, he said a good conversation with his wife, Kelsey, helped him rediscocver his perspective.

“I’m only 29,” he said, “so I probably don’t need to be bitter about things quite yet.”

Quotable: “You don’t normally shoot a low number trying to shoot a low number. You kind of shoot a low number just because it happens.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Tom Kim, of South Korea, watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Sam Stevens watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Sahith Theegala reacts after missing a putt on the fourth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/George Walker IV)