Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 21

Wyndham Clark Wins U.S. Open, Claims $4.5 Million From Record $22.5 Million Purse

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 21

Wyndham Clark Wins U.S. Open, Claims $4.5 Million From Record $22.5 Million Purse

Q: How did Wyndham Clark nearly squander a six-shot lead before clinching his second U.S. Open title?

Wyndham Clark nearly let the tournament slip because his final round unraveled early just as Sam Burns made a fast charge. Clark began Sunday at Shinnecock Hills with a six-shot lead, but he looked shaky almost immediately. He bogeyed the par-3 second after finding trouble off the tee, and he was 2-over through five holes. By the turn, he had shot 3-over 38 on the front nine, and his cushion had been cut dramatically. At the same time, Burns took advantage. Playing ahead of Clark, he went 4-under through eight holes and posted a 3-under 67 for the day. That surge reduced Clark’s once-commanding lead to a single shot, turning what had looked like a comfortable finish into a tense back-nine battle. Clark also faced pressure from the atmosphere. Reports from the course described a hostile crowd that cheered some of his mistakes and heckled him during the round, adding to the strain as his lead shrank. He steadied himself with key shots late. The biggest came at the par-5 16th, where he recovered from the native grass, hit his third shot to about 24 feet and made the birdie putt to regain a two-shot edge. But the drama was not over: he three-putted the 17th for bogey, dropping his lead back to one. That left Clark needing a par at the 18th. After finding the rough off the tee, he hit the green and lagged his long first putt to tap-in range, sealing a 3-over 73 and a one-shot victory for his second U.S. Open title.

Q: As prize money skyrockets, is the U.S. Open's record purse the new standard for major championships?

Yes — but it is a shared standard, not a uniquely new one set by the U.S. Open alone. The 2026 U.S. Open’s $22.5 million purse, with Wyndham Clark earning $4.5 million, matches the 2026 Masters for the largest payout in men’s major championship history. That makes the U.S. Open part of the new top tier in major golf prize money, rather than a standalone outlier. The broader evidence shows a clear upward reset across majors. The U.S. Open increased by $1 million from 2025, while the PGA Championship also rose to a record $20.5 million in 2026. The Open Championship has trailed the other three majors, paying $17 million in 2025, though its 2026 figure has not been confirmed here. In that context, $22.5 million now looks like the benchmark at the top end of the majors, with the Masters and U.S. Open already there and the PGA Championship not far behind. At the same time, the U.S. Open is not the richest event in men’s golf overall. The Players Championship offers $25 million, and the Tour Championship is even higher at $40 million. That matters because major organizers are operating in a wider market where elite events keep raising purses to remain competitive and prestigious. So the U.S. Open’s record purse signals the new financial standard for majors alongside the Masters — and reflects a broader prize-money arms race across top-level golf.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 21

Wyndham Clark closed with a 3-over 73 at Shinnecock Hills to finish 4-under and secure a one-shot, wire-to-wire U.S. Open victory over Sam Burns.
The win gave Clark a $4.5 million payday from a $22.5 million purse, up $1 million from last year and tied with the Masters for the biggest purse in men's major championship history.
Sam Burns earned $2.43 million for second, while Tom Kim took $1.53 million for third; players who missed the cut receive $10,000, but amateurs are unpaid.
The title was Clark's fifth PGA Tour win and his second major, adding to the U.S. Open he won in Los Angeles in 2023.