Scottie Scheffler gets the final look at Wyndham Clark on Sunday, and that alone gives the U.S. Open its last live question for a UK prime-time audience.
Clark still owns the championship. A six-shot lead at Shinnecock Hills is not a soft advantage, particularly on a course that spent Saturday making world-class players look ordinary. But the final-round tee sheet has put the one player nobody wants behind them in the same group as the leader, with Clark and Scheffler due out at 7.30pm BST.
That makes the evening more interesting than the leaderboard suggests. ReadGolf has already looked at how Clark made Shinnecock Sunday about nerve, and the assignment has not changed: protect the lead, accept pars, and avoid the sort of double-bogey stretch that turns a major procession into a panic.
Scheffler gives the final group a different feel
Scheffler’s presence matters because he is not just another player at one under. He is the world No. 1, a four-time major winner and still chasing the career Grand Slam. His third-round 69 was one of the few scores under par on Saturday, and it came after a poor start that could easily have removed him from the conversation altogether.
That is the part Clark will know. Scheffler has not found his cleanest golf at Shinnecock, but he has survived long enough to be relevant. Earlier in the week, Scheffler put Sunday back into Clark’s U.S. Open by refusing to disappear, and now he gets four-and-a-half hours beside the leader rather than chasing from a distant group.
The gap is still huge. Scheffler probably needs something in the mid-60s or a visible Clark wobble to make the closing holes uncomfortable. But Shinnecock does not need much help to create that feeling. Miss the wrong green, catch the wrong bounce, or take three putts from the wrong tier and a safe Sunday can suddenly start moving.
The British interest comes before the final pairing
For UK readers, the evening begins well before Clark and Scheffler. Rory McIlroy is listed with Akshay Bhatia at 5.13pm BST, Aaron Rai goes out with Zac Blair at 5.35pm, John Parry follows with J.T. Poston at 5.46pm, Alex Fitzpatrick is out with Ryder Cowan at 6.08pm, Matt Fitzpatrick plays alongside Collin Morikawa at 6.35pm and Tommy Fleetwood partners Xander Schauffele at 6.46pm.
McIlroy’s third-round fade means he is playing for position, pride and momentum rather than a title. That is still not meaningless with The Open at Royal Birkdale coming next month, but it is no longer the Sunday he wanted. Fitzpatrick and Fleetwood have a different sort of job: turn a difficult major week into a finish that still feels useful.
Fitzpatrick’s Saturday was especially bruising after he started the day in the final pairing with Clark. ReadGolf framed that as a Shinnecock weekend test, and the test did not ease. His final round now becomes less about winning and more about leaving New York with something sturdier than regret.
Clark still controls the major
The brutal truth is that Clark does not need to beat Scheffler shot for shot. He needs to keep the ball in front of him, avoid the big miss and let Shinnecock remain hard for everyone else. A level-par 70 might be enough. A 72 might still be enough. That is the luxury he has earned over three rounds.
But majors rarely feel completely secure until the final green, and pairing him with Scheffler ensures Sunday has a proper edge. The champion in waiting is still Clark. The man with the best chance of making him wait is standing right beside him.
