Tom Kim has turned Wyndham Clark’s four-shot U.S. Open lead into something less comfortable than it first looked.
Clark remains the man in charge at Shinnecock Hills after reaching seven under through 36 holes, but Kim’s move to three under has given the weekend a different kind of pressure point. This is no longer only about whether Clark can protect a cushion. It is about whether one of golf’s sharpest young players can make that cushion feel smaller before Sunday truly arrives.
The official U.S. Open cut landed at four over, leaving only a small group under par and even fewer with a realistic claim on the trophy. Kim is in that select company alongside Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Stevens and Xander Schauffele, four behind Clark and ahead of a chasing pack that still includes Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.
Kim Gives The Chase A Different Shape
Kim’s position matters because Shinnecock is not built for passive pursuit. Four shots can vanish quickly here, but only if the chaser keeps the card clean enough to let the course do some of the work.
That is why his Friday back nine felt significant. Golf Channel’s round-two coverage noted that Kim moved into the group closest to Clark after a bogey-free closing nine that included birdies at the 10th, 12th and 16th. On a course where long stretches of survival are normal, that sort of scoring run stands out.
It also changes the texture of the leaderboard. ReadGolf has already looked at how Xander Schauffele has become a serious American threat, while Matt Fitzpatrick’s Shinnecock chance carries obvious English interest. Kim brings something else: a fearless tempo, a compact game, and the feel of a player who can rattle off enough birdies to make Saturday uncomfortable.
Clark Still Owns The Lead
None of this removes the basic truth of the championship. Clark has earned his position. He opened with a 64, followed it with a 69, and sits on the lowest 36-hole U.S. Open score recorded at Shinnecock. That is a serious piece of work, especially from a player who knows what closing this championship requires after winning at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023.
Sky Sports reported that Clark described his approach as “boring” golf, and that may be exactly the right formula. At Shinnecock, boring often means missing in the right place, accepting pars, and refusing to let one bad swing become three holes of damage.
But there is a reason Clark’s control after setting the Shinnecock mark still feels like the beginning of the weekend rather than the end of the contest. A U.S. Open lead is never just a number. It is a daily examination of patience, nerve and discipline.
Saturday Is Now The Real Test
Kim does not need to win the championship on Saturday. He needs to make Clark look over his shoulder. That means staying in touch early, resisting the temptation to force the issue, and finding a way to turn Shinnecock’s hardest stretches into pars while stealing one or two birdies when the course briefly allows it.
The wider leaderboard gives Clark protection, but it also gives him noise. Fitzpatrick has major pedigree. Schauffele has the ball-striking to handle a firm U.S. Open. Morikawa’s 65 showed there is still a score out there for someone precise enough to find it. Scheffler and McIlroy are seven back, but on this course even that gap is not quite dead.
Kim’s advantage is that he begins the weekend close enough to matter without carrying the heaviest burden. He can chase. Clark has to lead.
That distinction is why Kim’s Friday finish may matter more than it first appeared. Shinnecock has its leader, but it now has another player capable of making the whole place tighten by Saturday afternoon.
