WiretoWire: Wyndham's major moment

WYNDHAM CLARK OUTLASTS MCILROY, SCHEFFLER FOR U.S. OPEN TITLE

Sports fans who tune into the major-championship season are likely familiar with the names Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, two of the top-three finishers at last week’s U.S. Open. It’s time to learn about Wyndham Clark. The 29-year-old Oregon alum outlasted a star-studded leaderboard at The Los Angeles Country Club to earn his first major title, one stroke clear of McIlroy, at a 10-under total. Scheffler, world No. 1, finished solo third at 7-under par. Clark, who went nearly five years on TOUR before breaking through for his first title at last month’s Wells Fargo Championship, made several crafty pars on a crispy Sunday afternoon in Hollywood, punctuated with a two-putt from 59 feet at the par-4 18th to secure the victory. The Colorado native maintained an even keel throughout the week, carding rounds of 64-67-69-70 as conditions steadily toughened, but he grew emotional afterward when reflecting on his mom, Lise, who died in 2013 at age 55 after a lengthy battle with breast cancer. Clark’s mom encouraged him to “play big,” and this week at his national championship, he did just that. “I felt like my mom was watching over me today,” said Clark, who moves to No. 4 in the FedExCup standings and No. 13 on the Official World Golf Ranking. “All I really wish is that my mom could be here and I could just hug her and we could celebrate together. But I know she's proud of me.”

A MAJOR WEEK AFTER A MAJOR WEEK

The Travelers Championship awaits as the PGA TOUR’s top players head to TPC River Highlands for this season’s next Designated event. The top eight players in the world are all scheduled to tee it up at TPC River Highlands, including world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and defending champion Xander Schauffele. A strong contingent of up-and-comers in the field includes Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen, who finished fourth in last year’s Travelers. His peers in the field include Benjamin James, Sam Bennett and Ludvig Aberg. There will be six former champions teeing it up, led by Schauffele and 2021 winner Harris English. Sahith Theegala will return as he looks to avenge last year’s runner-up finish. Rickie Fowler is one of the many notables set to tee it up at the Travelers. In all, the tournament will have 14 of the top 20-ranked players in the world. The winner of the Travelers will receive 500 FedExCup points.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

MIC CHECK

“I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship” —U.S. Open runner-up Rory McIlroy, still chasing his first major title since 2014

BY THE NUMBERS

62 - Rickie Fowler set a U.S. Open single-round scoring record with an 8-under 62 in the first round at LACC, matched just 22 minutes later by Xander Schauffele.

2 - PGA TOUR University alums to win in the last two weeks on the Korn Ferry Tour, as recent Florida grad Ricky Castillo won the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open with a par on the first hole of a three-man playoff, besting Kyle Jones and Adrien Dumont de Chassart – who won last week’s BMW Charity Pro-Am in his professional debut.

16 - Cumulative PGA TOUR Accelerated points for rising Vanderbilt junior Gordon Sargent, after making the cut at the U.S. Open to earn 2 points. Players who reach 20 points will earn immediate PGA TOUR membership at the conclusion of the collegiate season next May.

COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10

The Comcast Business TOUR Top 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.