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Clark Captures US Open
Recap from the third major of the year.
Winnerโs Circle
US Open
Meijer LPGA Classic
Korea Women's Open Golf Championship
Wichita Open
Hana Bank Invitational
Nichirei Ladies
German Masters
US Open
Wyndham Clark secured a one-shot victory over Rory McIlroy to win the US Open. This marked Clark's second win of the year, following his breakthrough at the Wells Fargo in May, where he claimed his first PGA Tour victory.
Clark showcased his strong short game to maintain his lead on Sunday, particularly on holes 8, 9, and 11, where he made world-class up and downs to keep his round going. In the victory ceremony, Clark mentioned the up and down at eight to save bogey as a key to his victory. When Clark did hit the green in regulation, his long putts had ideal speed, resulting in relatively stress-free pars.
The highlight of the tournament was Clark's second shot on the par five 14th hole. He impressively cut a 3-wood from 280 yards, running it up a narrow entry into the green to about 20 feet, and managed to secure a birdie with two putts. At the same time, McIlroy had just made a bogey ahead, allowing Clark to enter the final four holes with a three-shot lead.
Despite a couple of nervy bogeys towards the end, Clark only needed a par on the 18th hole to seal the tournament. After a well-placed struck approach shot left him nearly 60 feet away from the hole, Clark's lag putting once again proved reliable, leaving him with a tap-in for the win.
Rory McIlroy displayed superb ball striking throughout the day but struggled to make any putts. Despite having several opportunities, McIlroy couldn't catch up to Clark. The pivotal moment came when McIlroy made a bogey on the 14th hole after an errant drive forced him to lay up. With a wedge in hand from 117 yards, he came up short of the green and ultimately made a disappointing bogey, with the lost shot proving to be the difference in forcing a playoff.
Scottie Scheffler secured a solo third-place finish but never posed a significant threat to the leaders. His results this year have been so good that, somehow, it feels a bit of a letdown when he is not in contention to win. With top 10s in all three majors so far this year, Scheffler will likely be the favorite alongside McIlroy heading into The Open at Hoylake.
Rickie Fowler couldn't maintain his incredible pace of birdies throughout the tournament. After setting a US Open scoring record with a remarkable 62 on Thursday, Fowler appeared to lose momentum on Sunday and could only manage a tie for fifth.
Cam Smith delivered an impressive performance on the back nine on Sunday, shooting three under par to find his way into the top 5. The back nine had proven challenging throughout the week, particularly the closing three holes, which were among the toughest on the course.
LPGA - Meijer LPGA Classic
Leona Maguire won the Meijer LPGA Classic with a brilliant closing round of 64. Her final nine holes included four birdies and an eagle en route to her first victory of 2023.
Korn Ferry Tour - Wichita Open
Ricky Castillo won in a playoff over Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Kyle Jones. Castillo emerged from the three-way playoff with a par on the first hole. His win marks a second for PGA Tour U grads in their Korn Ferry Tour debut after Dumont de Chassart won last week.
Korea LPGA - Korea Women's Open Golf Championship
Ji Won Hong won with a birdie on the second playoff hole over Min Byeol Kim and Dasom Ma. Hong opened the tournament with a 66 for the day one lead and her 71 was enough on Sunday to get into the playoff. The victory is Hongโs first of the year with her previous best finish at the E1 Charity Open.
Japan LPGA - Nichirei Ladies
Miyuu Yamashita won again on the LPGA of Japan tour. The win is the fourth of the year for Yamashita and 3rd win in her last 5 events. Her last 6 tournament results: 1, T2, T3, 1, 1, 2
Japan Golf Tour - Hana Bank Invitational
Jiho Yang won by one shot in Japan over Keita Nakajima.
Ladies European Tour - German Masters
Kristyna Napoleaova won in a playoff over Cara Gainer in Germany.