What Wyndham Clark has done through three rounds at Shinnecock Hills is nothing short of remarkable.
The ball striking has been excellent, as we would expect from a player of his caliber, but what has truly separated him from the rest of the field has been his short game. Time after time, Clark has found a way to get up and down from difficult positions, save pars when it looked impossible, and convert clutch putts to maintain momentum. On a golf course where bogeys are lurking around every corner, that ability has been invaluable.
As we head into Sunday, only a handful of players remain under par. Hopefully everyone is happy now.
The overreaction after the first two rounds was some of the most low-brained commentary you will ever see online. People were acting as if the USGA had completely lost control of the setup when, in reality, Shinnecock was doing exactly what it was supposed to do. This golf course was never meant to play like Oakmont, but it has still provided a tremendous U.S. Open test.
The course has held up beautifully.
Players have been rewarded for good shots, punished for poor ones, and forced to rely on every part of their game. That is exactly what a major championship should look like.
Now we get one more day.
US Open Round 4 Bets
The weather forecast calls for increased winds in the afternoon, which could provide a slight advantage to some of the players heading out earlier in the day. If the morning wave can take advantage of calmer conditions, we may see a few players make significant moves up the leaderboard before the leaders even tee off.
With that in mind, here are two final-round wagers that stand out.
Rory McIlroy Top 10 (+150)
Few players in the world are more dangerous than Rory McIlroy when he has nothing to lose.
When Rory gets into chase mode, he becomes incredibly aggressive and capable of producing some truly ridiculous rounds. We have seen it countless times throughout his career. The ability to go nuclear is always there.
The frustrating part of this week is that Rory has largely gotten in his own way.
There have been moments where the driver has looked great, stretches where the irons have been sharp, and flashes of brilliance around the greens. Unfortunately, he has not been able to put all of those pieces together during the same round.
That is what makes this number appealing.
Rory does not need four perfect rounds to cash a top-10 ticket. He only needs one. If he can finally string together a clean round on Sunday, I believe he has more than enough firepower to climb inside the top 10 before the tournament concludes.
Sahith Theegala Top 5 (+140)
Sahith Theegala currently sits tied for second place, and honestly, it should not surprise anyone.
This setup plays directly into his strengths.
Theegala thrives when driving distance and short-game creativity become premium assets, and both have been on full display this week. He is one of the longer players in the field and can occasionally be a bit erratic off the tee, but Shinnecock’s wider fairways have allowed him to be aggressive without paying the full penalty.
The short game has been every bit as impressive.
Time and time again, Theegala has escaped trouble and kept momentum alive with his touch around the greens.
What is encouraging heading into Sunday is that he actually left several makeable putts on the course during Round 3. If those putts begin to fall, he has a legitimate chance to make a run at the championship.
At some point on Sunday, I fully expect Sahith Theegala to have his hands on the trophy. Whether he can finish the job remains to be seen, but a top-five finish feels very much within reach
