The US Open crowned a first-time champion in Wyndham Clark on Sunday, while Rory McIlroy's long wait for another major continued and Rickie Fowler continued his return to top form; quiet crowds and late start times also feature among our talking points from Los Angeles Country Club...
Tuesday 20 June 2023 06:08, UK
Another major setback for Rory McIlroy, the resurgence of Rickie Fowler, putting frustration for Scottie Scheffler and the emergence of a new champion in Wyndham Clark. We reflect on some of the biggest talking points from the 2023 US Open...
Rory McIlroy will go again. And again. And again. He would "go through 100 Sundays" like that which saw him fall one-shot shy at the US Open in order to end his wait for a fifth major title. Immediate narratives pointed towards fresh disappointment in his bid to win a first major since 2014; later reflection would point to the gift of a player who continues to put himself in positions to triumph at a rate like no other. And it takes some player.
McIlroy would be left to rue a missed birdie chance from four feet at the eighth on a rocky day with the putter, his par-heavy start failing to ignite his final round or heap the pressure on Wyndham Clark as he might have hoped. He had been scintillating at times throughout the week, dominating off the tee and hitting 59 greens in regular to tease a different outcome to his recent troubles on the big stage. For all the signs of putting improvement, it still wasn't to be, offering a similar feel to his final day fade at The Open last summer.
It marked McIlroy's highest finish at the US Open since winning it in 2011, and his third major runner-up finish since his last victory in 2014. He now also has top 10 finishes in his last four worldwide starts, but remains without a win on the PGA Tour since October. All eyes immediately turn to Royal Liverpool, where he claimed the Claret Jug in 2014 to kickstart a successful summer. Is it there where he gets his long-awaited break?
Alarm bells were ringing at Los Angeles Country Club on Saturday evening as Scottie Scheffler afforded a moment of animation to celebrate a stunning eagle before finishing his round with a birdie moments later. The world No 1 was threatening to do world No 1 things and launch a ruthless final day assault on the top of the leaderboard, like he has done for the best part of a year now following his Masters triumph in 2022. There was an inevitability to his emergence, his prospects marred only by more cold putting throughout the week despite his switch of club.
Inconsistencies on the green followed him into Sunday as he finished third and three strokes behind winner Clark after carding a level-par 70 to close out. He has now recorded top-12 finishes in his last 17 starts dating back to October, having won twice this year at Phoenix and The Players. From tee to green he was sublime once again, consensus being that improved performances with the putter would leave him capable of producing the best season since Tiger Woods.
"He almost won at The Memorial a few weeks ago, just missing out on the play-off, despite finishing last in putting. That shows you how well he must have played from tee to green to perform as well as he did," said Sky Sports Golf's Paul McGinley prior to the start of the tournament.
"This guy is playing golf to a level that we haven't seen since Tiger Woods on a consistent basis from tee to green, it really has been that good. If he gets even a moderate week going with the putter, he's obviously a guy you would fancy."
The calmness with which he continues to navigate majors and hurdle mishaps is to be admired, and the back-spin his is able to generate on the greens a work of art. When the short game lands, few can live with him.
Welcome to the party, Wyndham Clark. A month on from his first win in 134 starts at the Wells Fargo Championship, Clark clinched his maiden major title as he beat out McIlroy by one stroke to finish 10-under par before later dedicating the victory to his late mother. The 29-year-old had flourished all week in Hollywood as he launched his campaign with a six-under opening round of 64 before entering the final day with a surprise share of the lead alongside Rickie Fowler.
While McIlroy struggled for birdies Clark retained the same composure that had put him in contention to overcome a hack job in the deep rough at the eighth as well as successive bogeys at the 15th and 16th, eventually sealing the deal with a par on the 18th to prompt emotional scenes with relatives.
Clark, who turned professional in 2017, sits 13th in the Official Golf World Rankings in the wake of his triumph, having ranked 241st in the world after missing the cut at last year's US Open. His second win in four starts meanwhile puts him on the brink of qualifying for the Ryder Cup in Rome and guarantees his inclusion at all majors for the next five years.
He noted afterwards his mother had been watching over him.
"My mum was - she was so positive and such a motivator in what she did," when asked what his mum would have been saying to him. "She'd be crying tears of joy. She called me winner when I was little, so she would just say, "I love you, Winner." She had that mantra of play big.
"But really, I was a mama's boy, so there would be a lot of hugging and crying together. But I know she'd be very proud of me. I miss her, and it's obviously great to think about her, and being here in LA and winning something like this makes me think of her even more than maybe my day-to-day when I'm not playing a championship."
Fans found themselves spoilt for choice when it came to 'easy to root for' contenders this week: Clark was the unknown, McIlroy was the agonising wait, Rickie Fowler was the beloved career revival.
Fowler entered the final day with a share of the lead on 10 under with Clark in the most encouraging sign yet he is somewhere close to being back to his brilliant best. A bogey on his second hole on Sunday, though, set the tone for a difficult conclusion as he went on to card a plus-five round of 75 to drop out of the top four following a final-hole bogey, denying him automatic spots at all four majors next year.
Nonetheless, he remains one of the feel-good stories of the tournament after dazzling with a history-making opening round 62 on Thursday to underline his return to form.
It has been four-and-a-half years since the last of Fowler's five PGA Tour titles, the 34-year-old arriving following 10 top-20 finishes in his last 12 starts having mounted an impressive response since falling to a career-low 185th in the rankings last September. A win is as close as it has been in some time.
Golf feels a far better place when it has a Rickie Fowler playing with confidence.
Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark both criticised the decision to begin their third rounds so late, resulting in the final group struggling to finish before darkness on Saturday.
The pair went out at 3.40pm local time on Saturday (11.40pm BST), with both players having to contend with challenging visibility for their closing holes due to fading light, while Clark unhappy with having to finish so close to sunset.
"Personally, I don't quite understand it," Clark said. "I know we're [on the] West Coast and whatnot, and I know they probably have the say, but I would like to think that they would step in and be like, 'hey, we want to make sure it's in the light and we have time.'
"Definitely Rickie (Fowler) and I had a little bit of a disadvantage on those last two holes playing in the dark."
Late tee times are common at The Open, where the UK summer offers considerably more daylight, although this year's third round finish was over an hour later traditionally common for a US Open Saturday. Play started 70 minutes earlier for the final day, with the final group out at 2.30pm.
The tournament may have offered Hollywood appeal in both its location and storylines, but the course layout and limited attendance left for a muted atmosphere for a major.
The daily attendance was limited to 22,000, considerably less than at other US Open layouts, with less than 10,000 of those tickets on general sale each day and no grandstand seating around the closing hole.
Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick was among those to question the lack of noise around the course, especially after he made the first hole-in-one as a professional during his second round.
"I wish it would have been louder," Fitzpatrick said about his ace. "I wish it was a few more people. But, yeah, I'm surprised there's not been as many people out as I thought this week."
USGA chief Mike Whan said pre-tournament they "could have sold 40,000 tickets a day" but offered the reduced attendance to make a "quality experience" for fans, resulting in plenty of areas of the course appearing quieter than traditionally expected.
Collin Morikawa added: "I think they could have packed this place a little bit more. I think you've heard that from a few pros. It is what it is. Some spots on the golf course are just impossible to get to, hey just really are. But the energy was not quite as high as what I would have liked to see."
Watch the Travelers Championship, live on Thursday from midday via the red button on Sky Sports Golf ahead of full coverage from 8pm.
