Even in fading daylight, Wyndham Clark drilled an 8-iron that one-hopped off the flagstick and settled 6 feet away for a birdie that could prove important for a couple of reasons.
Following Rickie Fowler’s three-putt on the last green, Clark’s final birdie gave him a share of the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open.
Additionally, it prevented Rory McIlroy from joining one of his close pals in the last group.
“That was significant. We wanted to be there, right? We want to be in the last group, facing off against the leader.” Clark’s caddie, John Ellis said.
The last group, which includes a pair of Oklahoma State graduates competing for their first major championship at Los Angeles Country Club, will run it back again on Sunday thanks to the birdie on the last green.
Fowler might have even been a part of Clark’s current streak of excellent play. During the Florida swing this year, they were playing a friendly round at Medalist when Clark started handling Fowler’s putter.
“Oh my goodness, this is so nice,” Clark said.
So, using Fowler’s measurements, he texted his club manufacturer to have the exact identical putter made for him.
Following two consecutive top-10 finishes this spring, Clark won his first Tour competition at Quail Hollow last month. He is currently one of the top 35 players worldwide.
“I consider myself lucky to call Rickie a friend as he is a gentleman and a superb cowboy,” Clark said.
However, because of how close McIlroy and Fowler are, their pairing in the final group may have been similar to that of the 2014 Open Championship. That day, McIlroy defeated his friend to win the third major championship of his career. He also defeated Fowler in a head-to-head match at the 2021 CJ Cup.
“In most of the areas, Rory has me beat, in my opinion. With him having more victories and majors than me, I feel like he has been pushing me more than I have been pushing him. But for me, having opponents with whom we can spar is always fun, and we simply keep pushing one another. That’s how, in my opinion, I’ve always gotten the most out of both myself and those around me.” Fowler said with a smile.
At 9-under 201, McIlroy is a shot behind the lead after making only one more birdie next to making two in his first three holes on Saturday. McIlroy will now be paired with Scottie Scheffler in the last group rather than Rickie Fowler, the world No.1 who put himself in contention with an eagle-birdie finish to top off a Saturday 68. He trails the leader by three shots.
The past two times they’ve faced off, McIlroy has prevailed against Scheffler. In the 2022 Tour Championship, where McIlroy shot 66 to Scheffler’s 73 and won his third FedExCup championship, as well as the consolation match of the WGC-Match Play this year (2 and 1).
Despite his numerous successes, McIlroy hasn’t won a major since defeating Fowler that day at Royal Liverpool over nine years ago.
“I haven’t done it in such a long time. I’m going out there to try to carry out a game plan, and I feel like I’ve carried out that plan really, very well over the last three days, and I just need to do that for one more day,” he said on Saturday night.
He’ll also be fully aware of his position on the last day. He only needs to turn around and glance back down the fairway at the last group.
