Wyndham Clark becomes first Colorado-born golfer to win U.S. Open

Wyndham Clark made Colorado golf history Sunday by winning the U.S. Open in dramatic fashion.

Clark outlasted tour superstar Rory McIlroy at Los Angeles Country Club and won by a stroke with a three-foot par putt on the 18th hole. The victory makes the Denver-born Clark the first Colorado native to win the U.S. Open.

The Valor Christian graduate is the third Colorado high school graduate to win the Open, joining former University of Colorado standouts Steve Jones (the Yuma High graduate won in ‘96) and Hale Irwin (Boulder High, three-time U.S. Open champion). Jones was born in New Mexico and Irwin was born in Missouri.

“I’ve worked so hard and I’ve dreamed about this moment for so long,” Clark said in a television interview immediately after winning. “There’s been so many times I’ve visualized winning (a major) championship. I just feel like it was my time.”

Clark’s performance continued a breakout season, as the 29-year-old earned his first career PGA tournament win in May’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Course in Charlotte, N.C. That triumph was the first PGA Tour win by a Colorado-born golfer since Jonathan Kaye won the Buick Classic in 2003, according to the Colorado Golf Association.

Six weeks later, Clark is a major champion after carding a 70 on Sunday, good for 10-under par overall while McIlroy was second at 9-under. Clark, making his sixth major start with his previous best finish being tied for 75th, came into the tournament as the 32nd-ranked player in the world. But he withstood pushes from McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler (7-under).

Clark had 14 Top 10 finishes prior to his victory at Quail Hallow. But Clark finally broke through and played with confidence in closing out that four-shot victory, shooting four rounds in the 60s. He showed that same mettle down the stretch Sunday in Los Angeles. With the victory, Clark netted $3.6 million of the $20 million purse.

After starting fast (three birdies in the first six holes), Clark weathered bogeys on the 8th, 15th and 16th to win the championship. McIlroy didn’t fade, but Clark minimized the damage when he did get into trouble. Clark parred the final two holes to secure the win.

“I felt at ease and I just kept saying, ‘I can do this, I can do this,’” Clark said of his play down the stretch.

Clark’s professional emergence has come later than most, but he was a proven winner at the amateur level and overcame the loss of his mom to breast cancer in college. He won a pair of Class 4A state titles at Valor Christian, then at Oregon he captured 2017 Pac-12 championship held at Boulder Country Club. Prior to Oregon, Clark started his career at Oklahoma State, where he won conference player of the year — a feat he matched with the Ducks.

“I felt like my mom was watching over me today,” Clark said on the TV broadcast.