Scottie Scheffler sparked momentum with a birdie run on Saturday at Shinnecock Hills, but Wyndham Clark still holds a six-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Open.
Scottie Scheffler looked like a man trying to hold a grip he could feel slipping.
On the 14th hole at Shinnecock Hills on Saturday, he roasted a drive 351 yards to the middle of the fairway. The bounce—so common here—sent his approach along and off the back of the green. Still. Scheffler responded with a pitch back up the slope. watched it roll into the cup for a birdie. then pumped his fist as he walked the entire way from the back of the green to the hole.
“It’s still over par for the tournament, staring at a pretty tough up-and-down. So, to steal a shot there at least is a pretty good feeling. We’ve been battling for three days now. and yeah. at that point over par for the tournament. you can feel like it’s kind of slipping away. To steal one there was really nice,” Scheffler said.
That birdie was the first of three straight on his back nine. It came after a moving-day start that could barely have been worse. Scheffler chopped out of the rough for his approach on his first hole and then needed to roll in a nine-footer to save bogey. He missed a six-footer for par on the par-3 2nd, and the round began to unravel fast.
“Got off to a tough start today. I hit a decent drive there on 1. I got the worst lie I’ve seen from anybody all week that you couldn’t even advance really with a wedge. Ended up making a really nice bogey. Hit a couple of decent shots there on the second. Made another bogey. Just did my best to try and stay patient,” Scheffler said.
Once he steadied, it was as if the day finally found its rhythm. He made seven straight pars before making the turn. On No. 10. he described one of the tidiest approaches of the week—a flop shot from about 70 yards that ended up seven feet from the hole. It became a birdie, one of just 12 birdies on the hole for the day.
“I made a really nice birdie there on the 10th. That was a hole where it’s really hard to hold that green, so it was really nice to kind of steal a shot there,” Scheffler said.
Scheffler became the first golfer to be in red figures through 54 holes after shooting a 1-under 69. He added an 11-foot birdie on the par-4 15th. then hit an approach from 272 yards to just 13 feet for an eagle on No. 16. His day wasn’t perfect—he missed a six-footer for par on his penultimate hole—but overall. especially given that brutal start. he finished proud of what he put together.
“Proud of how we played on the back nine, and going into tomorrow, just continue to do what I need to do and try and execute,” Scheffler said.
The stakes only sharpen because Sunday’s final pairing is set: Scheffler will chase leader Wyndham Clark. who leads by six shots despite a shaky bogey on the 18th hole. The margin is the fourth-largest 54-hole advantage in U.S. Open history, and the numbers carry their own drama. In major history. 21 times a golfer has held a lead of six shots or more heading into the final round—and only once has that lead failed to turn into a trophy.
Clark, who sits first among Scottie Scheffler, Sahith Theegala, Sam Stevens and Tom Kim, knows the target is brutal. Still, he framed his task in simple terms.
“We’ve been battling hard for a few days, and I did a good job of keeping myself in the tournament. I’ll need a really nice round tomorrow if I’m going to try and catch Wyndham,” Scheffler said.
For his part, Clark pointed to the small edges that have mattered most on the greens. He sits first in strokes gained: putting for the week and made over 50 feet of just par putts on Saturday.
“Scottie is the best player in the world, and he’s going to play probably really good. He always does, but it’s nice to have a six-shot lead on him. But really, I’m just going to keep approaching it the same way,” Clark said. “If I go out and execute and go through my process and hit the shots I know I can hit. I like my chances.”.
Scheffler is also chasing something that reaches beyond Saturday’s fist pump. This is his first crack at capturing the career grand slam, and he has given himself a chance. Sunday arrives on Father’s Day—and on Scheffler’s birthday.
“I think it’s appropriate to understand what’s at stake. I’ve worked really hard for a long time to have a chance to win golf tournaments and to win major championships. I think understanding the moment and giving it your best shot is all part of the process,” Scheffler said.
There’s a storybook possibility in the Hamptons: either Clark absorbs one of the largest collapses in major championship history, or Scheffler delivers the kind of Sunday swing he’s already proved he can manufacture—completing the career grand slam in his first attempt.
“This is why we practise and play, to have an opportunity to win golf tournaments,” Scheffler said. “And that’s what tomorrow is.”
U.S. Open Shinnecock Hills Scottie Scheffler Wyndham Clark Sahith Theegala Sam Stevens Tom Kim final round major championship putting strokes gained