LOS ANGELES.- The American golfer Wyndham Clark was proclaimed champion this Sunday of the 123rd edition of the United States Open against forecast and thus won his first ‘major’.
Clark, who had arrived on Sunday as the co-leader of the tournament in Los Angeles, USA, together with his compatriot Rickie Fowler, signed the pair in the last round and with -10 in total resisted the harassment throughout the day of the Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy , which was second with -9 accumulated (even on the fourth day).
Clark, 29, picked up his first career PGA Tour win in May by taking the Wells Fargo Championship.
This was his first time making the cut in this ‘major’ and Clark had the calm to assert his magnificent cards from Thursday, Friday and Saturday, all of them under par. On Sunday he signed ‘his worst day of him’ but it was enough to lift the trophy.
The last load of pressure this Sunday came when McIlroy finished his round, who played a long 12-metre birdie putt and came within centimeters of achieving it. He finished off for a final card of 70 shots and with -9 it only remained to wait for Clark’s arrival and discover whether or not there would be a tiebreaker.
The man from Denver had two shots from the ‘green’ to win and the most important ‘putt’ of his life was a very well-directed 18-metre putt that was just a few centimeters from the flag. He made it real and broke down in tears as his family and friends jumped up to hug him.
Someone very important was missing, his mother, who died of cancer while he was at university. That’s why he was the first person he remembered.
“I feel like my mom is watching me today. I miss you mom. I’ve worked so hard for a long time for a moment like this. It’s my time, thank you,” she said.
“I felt the pressure on the back nine, but I convinced myself that I could do this,” he commented on the shadows of world-class golfers who were chasing him like McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler.
And it is that the game that was just ahead of Clark, the one played by Scheffler and McIlroy, was the great attraction of the day: two stars who caught on their way to the title and who quickly reached the top four with a Fowler that was losing strength.
Clark sought victory from the first hole, opening his day with a ‘birdie’ at 1 that he later complemented with two at 4 and 6. In the second part of his round he added another at 14 and suffered with two ‘bogeys’ ‘ in the 15th and 16th when McIlroy pressed the most.
The Northern Irishman saw his threat to the title stopped with a ‘bogey’ in the 14th minute, when when making the ‘approach’ to the ‘green’ his ball was buried in one of the walls of the bunker near the flag. Clark, a few minutes later and as if he was receiving notifications of the other game, signed the ‘birdie’ at 14 to return to -12 and get some air.
“I was very close. I fought, I was there until the end. The ‘bogey’ of 14 made my options vanish,” lamented McIlroy.
RAHM CLOSES WITH A GOOD TASTE IN THE MOUTH
Without title options, Jon Rahm at least closed his participation in the US Open with a good taste in his mouth thanks to his best card of the week: -5 this Sunday to finish with -3 in total tied for tenth position.
The key, as he had stated in the previous days, was to finish off the previous good shots with the ‘putt’. The man from Barrika achieved this objective especially on the first nine holes, in which he signed five ‘birdies’.
There would still be time for one more on the 11th and to finish off the day playing on par on the course until the 18th. His great role on Sunday was only slightly soiled by the ‘bogey’ on the fifth hole, where none of the previous days had been complicated.
“Very happy with today, I was confident in doing a lap like this, I was in myself, I was confident in my game. I have started like a shot and I have managed to hold on. Because in the last six holes they are not easy at all, ”she indicated.
His compatriot Sergio García ended his participation with par on Sunday and closed with +2 among the top thirty of the tournament. Also Spanish David Puig was better in the last round with -3 and a decent +4 overall.
For his part, Chilean Joaquín Niemann finished his Sunday with +3 (+3 overall) outside the top thirty. The Colombian Sebastián Muñoz (+2 in the fourth round, +6 in total) and the Mexican Abraham Ancer (+1 in the last round, +7 accumulated) finished below.
