Rory McIlroy 's nine-year wait for a fifth major championship has continued, after the Northern Irishman agonisingly missed out on the US Open title at the hands of Wyndham Clark
McIlroy could only card a level-par 70 in Sunday's final round whilst Clark impressively held his nerve by shooting the same score to secure the title by a single shot. The build-up heading into round four in LA was dominated by the battle between McIlroy and the eventual champion's fellow overnight leader Rickie Fowler.
Whilst all the talk surrounded PGA Tour stalwarts Fowler and McIlroy , it was in fact Clark who went on to prevail, as the 29-year-old secured his maiden major title and only his second PGA Tour win.
The world No. 32 began perfectly with a birdie at the first, but he soon gave this back with a bogey at two. This did not faze the American though, as two birdies followed at four and sixth to move him into the solo lead.
Overnight leader Fowler meanwhile endured a tough start, bogeying three of his first seven holes in round four to drift down the leaderboard. His fight back then began at eight, as he responded with an impressive birdie four at the par five, whilst the fortune of his playing partner Clark also changed on the very same hole.
As Fowler tapped in for birdie, the leader found trouble in the thick green-side rough and after a miss-hit, he his way to a bogey six to once again open the door. The man leading the chasing pack was McIlroy in the group ahead, and amid the ebb and flow between his rivals, he steadied his own ship to stay in the hunt.
Following a birdie at the first, the Northern Irishman carded eight-straight pars to leave him just one shot back heading into the final nine holes. Whilst there were no blemishes on the card, the pressure on McIlroy's shoulders continued to grow as he saw a whole host of birdie tries roll by.
Competing at the top of a leaderboard on a major Sunday was nothing new to McIlroy, but if the past nine years were anything to go by, the four-time major winner was used to near misses. He was of course keen to bring that run to an end, and knew he most probably needed at least another birdie or two to do so.
Clark was the man setting the pace, and whilst he lacked the experience of his rival, he certainly made up for it determination, as he continued to match the consistency of McIlroy to remain at the top. Amid the battle of McIlroy and Clark, Fowler's tournament appeared to be over as he began his back nine with two bogeys in three holes to leave him four shots back.
Agonisingly for McIlroy he followed suit, as his hunt for a birdie soon saw him make bogey at the par five 14th. Clark meanwhile was waiting in the wings on the very same fairway, and swooped in to take his chance by finding an all-important birdie to move two shots clear of the four-time major winner.
This was major championship golf though, and there were no guarantees. One hole later Clark gave his birdie straight back after a frustrating bogey at 15, before the same fate followed one hole later to reduce his lead to one, and once again give McIlroy a glimmer of hope. The LA Country Club setup had been criticised by many for lacking the challenge a usual US Open provides, but the toughness was alive and kicking for the leaders in the latter stages.
The best McIlroy could offer on his final hole was his 16th par of the day, to leave him one shot behind Clark who took his place on the 18th tee on the edge of history. A par and the 29-year-old was a US Open champion, and he secured exactly that to cap off a dramatic climax to the third major championship of the season. For McIlroy it was another near-miss, for Clark though it was a place in golfing history.
