Wyndham Clark’s – Scottie Scheffler begins the U.S. Open final round on Sunday paired with leader Wyndham Clark at Shinnecock Hills, carrying the weight of a chasing-first-win moment—and a 30th birthday and Father’s Day that add to the pressure. Clark leads by six strokes as th
Sunday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York starts with a simple, loaded reality: Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark are paired in the final group, and the scoreboard will not wait for anyone.
Clark enters the final round holding a six-stroke lead at 7 under par. Scheffler sits at 1 under par after one of only two under-par rounds on Saturday—a 1-under 69 that included a 65-foot chip for birdie on No. 14. For Scheffler, the stakes are personal as well as sporting: he turns 30 today, and it is also Father’s Day. He and his wife Meredith have two sons, Bennett, 2, and Remy, almost three months.
Clark and Scheffler are set to tee off at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. The final group timing matters because Scheffler’s goals are precise: he is seeking his first U.S. Open win, which would also give him the career grand slam.
The opening rhythm of Sunday includes a mix of steady contenders and players chasing momentum quickly. Justin Thomas began the final round at four over par and 11 shots off the lead. recording three birdies and one bogey in his first six holes. He climbed to 2 over for the tournament and moved up to a tie for 13th place.
Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, began Sunday’s final round 10 shots behind Clark. He is listed at +3. but has already shown he can find the low end—starting with a huge 372-yard drive on the opening hole. That kind of distance is only part of what could change the outcome on a course that demands precision.
Even early, Shinnecock Hills has delivered its own reminder of how difficult the week can be. NBC cameras documented a four-legged spectator getting into trouble after a fox appeared along the fairway. Closer to the scoreboard. Ryan Fox recorded three birdies on his opening nine holes. with pars the rest of the way through 12 holes.
Peter Uihlein set an early marker with a four-under 66 during his time on the course.
There is also a stark historical bar for Clark’s position. It would take a meltdown of historic proportions for Wyndham Clark not to win his second U.S. Open title. The record for the largest final-round collapse in a major is six strokes—the lead Greg Norman had after 54 holes at the 1996 Masters. Norman went on to lead from the start after opening with a Masters record-tying 63. building his lead to six over Nick Faldo in the final pairing on Sunday. As Faldo made his move. Norman dropped five shots on a five-hole stretch. capped by a double-bogey when he hit into the water on the par-3 12th. and he also found water on the par-3 16th en route to a final-round 78. Faldo shot the best round of the day with a 5-under 67 to win by five strokes.
Back at Shinnecock, Clark begins Sunday’s fourth round with that six-stroke advantage.
If the day turns toward record territory, the math is tight but clear. Rory McIlroy set the tournament record for 72 holes when he shot 268 to win his first U.S. Open in 2011, with par at 71. His round-by-round scores were 65, 66, 68 and 69, finishing 16 under par. Since Shinnecock Hills is playing as a par 70. Clark could tie McIlroy’s score of 268 if he shoots a 5-under 65 and finishes four rounds at 12 under.
There are other narratives running beneath the leaderboard as well. Scottie Scheffler and Christian McCaffrey were both student-athletes at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Scheffler is a four-time PGA Tour winner who graduated in 2012. while the San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back was in the Class of 2014.
The tournament’s staging at Shinnecock Hills has its own history. This is the sixth time the U.S. Open has been played at the club on Long Island, New York. The William Flynn-designed course is meant to incorporate natural elements. and it previously hosted the championship in 1896. 1986. 1995. 2004 and 2018—when Brooks Koepka won his second consecutive U.S. Open title. In 1896, it was the record shortest course at 4,423 yards.
Weather, too, could shape the tenor of the last round. Forecasts call for temperatures beginning at 57 degrees early in the morning, climbing to 78 degrees by afternoon. Winds are expected to remain a challenge with steady breezes between 8 and 16 mph and gusts reaching up to 25 mph. The chance of rain is listed at 25%. and the unpredictability associated with Shinnecock does not rule out change before the crowning moment on Sunday.
Tee times today (Eastern) feature an entire slate from early morning through the final group at 2:30 p.m. Eastern: Dylan Wu and James Nicholas at 7:45 a.m.; Peter Uihlein and Russell Henley at 7:56 a.m.; Patrick Rodgers and Eric Lee (a) at 8:07 a.m.; Neal Shipley and Hideki Matsuyama at 8:18 a.m.; Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Nico Echavarria at 8:29 a.m.; Caleb Surratt and Ben James at 8:40 a.m.; Jackson Van Paris and Spencer
Tibbits at 8:51 a.m.; Kurt Kitayama and Max Greyserman at 9:02 a.m.; Marek Fleming (a) and Jacob Bridgeman at 9:18 a.m.; Johnny Keefer and Ludvig Aberg at 9:29 a.m.; Ryan Fox and Angel Hidalgo at 9:40 a.m.; Miles Russell (a) and Jackson Koivun at 9:51 a.m.; Robert MacIntyre and Chris Gotterup at 10:02 a.m.; Harry Higgs and Andrew Putnam at 10:13 a.m.; Michael Brennan and Jordan Spieth at 10:24 a.m.; Bud Cauley and Ben Kohles
at 10:35 a.m.; Cameron Young and Joaquin Niemann at 10:51 a.m.; Laurie Canter and Justin Thomas at 11:02 a.m.; William Mouw and Niklas Norgaard at 11:13 a.m.; Max McGreevy and Justin Rose at 11:24 a.m.; Ben Griffin and Tyrrell Hatton at 11:35 a.m.; Pierceson Coody and Dustin Johnson at 11:46 a.m.; Ryo Hisatsune and Gary Woodland at 11:57 a.m.; Akshay Bhatia and Rory McIlroy at 12:13 p.m.; Maverick McNealy and Brian Harman at 12:24 p.m.;
Zac Blair and Aaron Rai at 12:35 p.m.; John Parry and J.T. Poston at 12:46 p.m.; Sungjae Im and Michael Kim at 12:57 p.m.; Ryder Cowan (a) and Alex Fitzpatrick at 1:08 p.m.; Corey Conners and Keegan Bradley at 1:19 p.m.; Matt Fitzpatrick and Collin Morikawa at 1:35 p.m.; Tommy Fleetwood and Xander Schauffele at 1:46 p.m.; Sam Burns and Keith Mitchell at 1:57 p.m.; Emiliano Grillo and Sam Stevens at 2:08 p.m.; Tom Kim
and Sahith Theegala at 2:19 p.m.; and finally Scheffler and Clark at 2:30 p.m.
The market has already priced in Clark’s edge. Odds as of 10:15 p.m. ET on June 20, courtesy of BetMGM, list Wyndham Clark at (-300), Scottie Scheffler at (+600), Xander Schauffele at (+2800) and Sahith Theegala at (+3000).
Scheffler’s record adds another layer to what he needs to pull off. Scottie Scheffler has not won the U.S. Open, and his best finish was second in 2022. He has won the other three majors that make up the golf Grand Slam: the Masters (2022. 2024). The Open Championship (2025) and the PGA Championship (2025). If he were to come from behind and win the U.S. Open. he would join a group that includes Rory McIlroy. Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus in completing the career Grand Slam.
Clark’s momentum also comes with credentials of his own. Wyndham Clark won the 2023 U.S. Open, which was held at the L.A. Country Club in Los Angeles, California.
One final round can change everything quickly. On a day that includes a 30th birthday. two young sons at home. and a Father’s Day squeeze in the middle of elite sport. Scheffler’s tournament story doesn’t start with what he can control—it starts with a six-stroke gap and a final pairing against the player who already appears ready to finish.
U.S. Open final round Shinnecock Hills Wyndham Clark Scottie Scheffler tee times Eastern golf leaderboard odds BetMGM Christian McCaffrey Rory McIlroy
Six strokes?? That sounds like a cheat code lol
Father’s Day AND turning 30? Man no wonder they’re all under pressure. I don’t even follow golf that hard but final group sounds like the only thing that matters.
Wait so Scottie is down 6 strokes? Or is he leading? The article keeps saying Clark leads by six but then it’s like they’re both the leaders?? Also Shinnecock Hills sounds familiar like it’s always some drama.
The 65-foot chip for birdie is wild though, like how is that even real. And if Clark is up by six then why does it say Scheffler has the pressure? Pressure is when you’re losing, not when you’re just… whatever, also Father’s Day is gonna mess with the focus for sure.