Southampton (United States) (AFP) – World number one Scottie Scheffler praised playing partner Wyndham Clark for defying New York hecklers as well as formidable Shinnecock to win his second US Open title on Sunday. Scheffler settled for a share of fourth after firing a one-over par 71 to finish on 280 while Clark edged fellow American Sam Burns by one stroke for the title.
Scheffler had a front-row view of what Clark endured. “The crowd was tough,” Scheffler said. “New Yorkers, they’re tough people. Sometimes it can get a little too much when balls are kind of going off greens and you start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me.” While it was not the over-the-top abuse such as Rory McIlroy took in the Ryder Cup last year at nearby Bethpage Black, it was enough to show Scheffler Clark’s character. “Being in the arena is not for everybody,” Scheffler said. “It shows a lot about Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course but I think the crowd today as well, and is a well-deserving champion.”
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Clark made a crucial 24-foot birdie putt at the par-five 16th and a two-putt par from 52 feet at the last to hold off Burns on a day when the US Golf Association removed some spectators for irresponsible conduct. “He showed kind of what he’s made of there with a great birdie there on 16. He was in some trouble off the tee,” Scheffler said. “He’s a very underrated scrambler. You saw a lot of that in some of the spots where he was and able to make pars from.”
Scheffler, who would have completed a career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday with a victory, was confident he could catch Clark despite starting six shots behind. “If Wyndham shot even-par today, I believed that I could catch him,” he said. “It’s just a matter of executing the shots. I was close, but not where it needed to be.” It was his fourth runner-up finish of the year and second in a major after the Masters. While he won his season opener in the California desert, Scheffler said his game is not quite all there yet.
“I feel like I’m continuing to improve. I’m starting to get the feels that I like in my swing. It’s just a matter of just getting a little bit closer, being a little bit sharper to start tournaments,” said Scheffler, who opened with a two-over 72 on Thursday. “It was a battle all week,” he said. “I felt like I did enough to have a really good round. Hit a lot of good putts that were really close to going in. Just wasn’t able to hole those.”
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