By the numbers: Wyndham Clark’s U.S. Open lead approaching history

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Wyndham Clark is on the doorstep of what could be a week for the record books at the U.S. Open.

Clark has been the man to beat all week at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, slowly but progressively distancing himself from the field. On a course where only five players are under par through 54 holes, he sits six shots clear at 7-under par and one round away from his second U.S. Open title.

Let’s take a look at some of the tournament’s historical notes to help put Clark’s runaway performance in perspective:

• 2014: That’s the last time that a player went wire-to-wire to win the U.S. Open. Martin Kaymer cruised past the field at Pinehurst No. 2, ultimately winning by eight shots. Prior to Kaymer, it’s been done only three times since 1971: twice by Tiger Woods (2000, 2002) and once by Rory McIlroy (2011). The last player to win any major wire-to-wire was Brooks Koepka at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage.

• 5: The number of players since World War II who have increased their lead at a U.S. Open after each of the first three rounds. Clark was two shots clear after the opening round, led by four at the halfway point and now boasts a six-shot cushion. The only other instances in the last 100 years came from the Woods and McIlroy romps mentioned above and Tony Jacklin, who steadily built his lead en route to a seven-shot victory at Hazeltine in 1970.

• 1996: Keep scrolling, Clark fans, because this one represents the only time that a player has led by six or more shots heading into the final round of a major championship and lost. Clark is now the 22nd player to be put in that position, and 20 of the prior 21 closed-out victories – all but Greg Norman's infamous collapse at the 1996 Masters, when Sir Nick Faldo beat him by 11 shots over the final 18 holes.

• 3: The small number of players who had a bigger 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open than Clark currently enjoys. Tiger Woods led by 10 shots at Pebble Beach in 2000, while Rory McIlroy was eight shots clear at Congressional in 2011. The only other instance came in 1921, when Jim Barnes led by seven shots.

• 516: That’s the number of times the par-5 16th hole was played in U.S. Open competition between eagles. Clark’s stunning eagle on Saturday came after he stiffed a 275-yard approach to within 5 feet, and it was the first eagle on the hole since the second round in 2018.

• 3: Clark is looking to become the third straight player to become a multiple-time U.S. Open winner with a victory at Shinnecock Hills. Like Clark, Retief Goosen was three years removed from his maiden major win when he conquered the field in 2004 amid difficult conditions. In 2018, Brooks Koepka became the first player in 29 years to successfully defend a U.S. Open title.