Wyndham Clark moved into the outright lead at the U.S. Open on Friday at Shinnecock Hills, backing up a first-round 64 with a gritty 69 to take control heading into the weekend. The American now has 36 holes left to protect a position that once looked unlikely only a year after he was left answering for a locker-smashing episode at Oakmont.
That is why his name is suddenly back at the center of the championship. Clark won his U.S. Open in 2023 and had already shown the kind of firepower that can turn a major in a hurry, including a final-round 60 at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and a win at Los Angeles Country Club by holding off Rory McIlroy. Now, after a season that has not gone smoothly and ended with him failing to make it past the first round of the Playoffs in 2025, he is the player everyone else is chasing.
Clark has been direct about the scrutiny that followed him after Oakmont. He said he had gotten a lot of grief since last year and that the episode was not who he is. He also said he hoped to win back fans, or at least bring in new ones, describing himself as fun, outgoing, fierce and competitive, with a real respect for the game. That message matters because the same player being followed for what happened in a doorway is now being followed for what he is doing on the scorecard.
The work behind the turnaround has also been part of the story. Clark said he began working with swing coach Pat Coyner over the offseason and that the two of them rebuilt his swing back to where it was in 2023. That version of Clark was the one that won a major. This version has started fast enough to reclaim the lead, and that is what makes the next two rounds so compelling: he is no longer trying only to escape a bad memory, but to hold off a field while carrying it with him.
There is still a gap between the way Clark wants to be seen and the way he has been remembered. He can talk about a terrible moment and insist it does not define him, but major championships have a way of forcing the conversation back to the scoreboard. If he keeps the lead over the next 36 holes, the louder story will be about the way he closed at Shinnecock Hills. If he does not, Oakmont will remain the note many readers remember first.
