Wyndham Clark take a victory lap after winning the 2023 U.S. Open.
Darren Riehl/GOLF
Welcome to GOLF.com’s new “Seen & Heard” video series, where we’ll endeavor to give you an inside look at golf’s biggest events through the eyes and ears of our onsite crew. On deck this week: The 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. Let’s go!
As the final-round contenders prepared for their afternoon tee times, GOLF’s Sean Zak made a prophetic call as Wyndham Clark warmed up in relative isolation on the putting green.
“People forget [Clark] has actually been one of the 15 best golfers this year,” Zak said. “He could totally fall and live up to everyone’s expectations. Or he could rise, and like, freak us all out. What is Wyndham Clark actually capable of?”
Turns out: an epic, U.S. Open-winning performance.
“I feel like I belong on this stage,” Clark said in the aftermath of his one-shot triumph over Rory McIlroy. “Even two, three years ago when people didn’t know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world. And I feel like I’ve been on a great trajectory to get to this place.”
Rickie Fowler, who led or co-led the championship for all three rounds, showcased his enduring sportsmanship yet again, as he congratulated Clark and stuck around to sign autographs in the dark after suffering yet another close call in a major championship.
U.S. Open golf, man. There’s truly nothing like it.
LACC delivered an incredible week, and if you loved what you saw, get excited: The U.S. Open returns to LA in 2039!
You can catch a recap of the the GOLF crew’s highlights from the final round of the U.S. Open in the video above. Thanks for watching! We’ll be back with more Seen & Heard from the upcoming Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.