U.S. Open co-leader Wyndham Clark, tied with Rickie Fowler at 10-under par, is vying for his first major championship victory at the Los Angeles Country Club (LACC). He's undoubtedly pleased with the earlier tee time for the final round.
Clark expressed his dissatisfaction with the late tee time on Saturday, which resulted in him finishing his third round in near darkness. This challenging lighting condition made it difficult to see the ball and navigate the course effectively.
Wyndham Clark during the third round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Clark's round commenced at 3:40 p.m. PT, a significant delay after the first group teed off at 9:33 a.m. PT. He voiced his concerns about the late start, stating, "It’s a little ridiculous that we teed off that late. I would say right around hole 15 or 16, it started getting to where you couldn’t see that well. I don’t personally understand why we teed off so late. We practically played twilight golf."
While acknowledging that both he and Fowler share the lead, Clark believes the poor visibility negatively impacted their scores on the final holes.
"I'm absolutely certain that my bogey on 17 was due to the lack of light, and I suspect Rickie's bogey on 18 was for the same reason," Clark commented.
Fowler had an opportunity to take the sole lead going into Sunday but missed a short putt on the 18th, resulting in a bogey that tied him with Clark.
Wyndham Clark on the 17th green during the third round. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Clark elaborated on the difficulty, saying, "I’m not making excuses, but it was definitely a challenge. On 17 and 18, I literally couldn’t see my putt on 17. We had to rely on feel and how Rickie’s putt broke. The same thing happened on 18. My caddie, John, said, ‘It’s around here somewhere. Make sure you hit it soft; we don’t want to blow this by. We need a tap-in.’ It’s tough to play like that on the last two holes of a major when we could have teed off much earlier. Hopefully, we won’t have this problem tomorrow."
The USGA addressed the issue, scheduling the final pairing for 2:30 p.m. PT on Sunday, over an hour earlier than Saturday's tee time.
Wyndham Clark tees off on the 18th hole during the third round. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
The possibility of a playoff looms, with several contenders close behind Clark and Fowler. Rory McIlroy sits at 9-under, followed by Scottie Scheffler at 7-under and Harris English at 6-under.
