Wyndham Clark has suggested that he was taken aback by the atmosphere at Shinnecock Hills during the third round of the US Open as he ensured that he would take a commanding lead into Sunday.
Clark is closing in on his second major title. He is now six shots clear of his closest rivals having posted one of the lowest rounds of the day in New York.
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It appeared that his lead could be even greater when he produced a stunning eagle on the par-five 16th hole.
However, Clark made a sloppy bogey on the 18th hole. Despite being superb all day on the greens, he managed to miss a short putt for par to leave himself six shots clear of Scottie Scheffler, who will be alongside him in the final group on Sunday.
Wyndham Clark reacts to the crowds at Shinnecock Hills during the US Open
It was quite jarring to see Clark make his way up the 18th fairway to virtually no fanfare. The large majority of the spectators had long gone by the time his third round was concluding.
And speaking to the media after the round, Clark suggested that he found it difficult to summon the energy to finish strongly when he did not have the crowds to feed off.
“Yeah, I love the energy. I love making a big putt and feeling that or hitting a good shot and getting the claps. So it was unfortunate it got a little flat,” he said.
“Also, because of that, sometimes it made it tough to stay really focused because it seemed like everyone was leaving, and it was like the tournament was over, and I had to keep myself really focused and in the present.
“I didn’t do my best job; I made kind of two poor bogeys coming in. Hopefully there’s people there tomorrow and it’s a great atmosphere.”
The USGA will be worried by the lack of people watching Wyndham Clark finish his third round
It was certainly not a good look for the USGA to have the grandstands virtually empty as the final groups came in.
Some of that will have been down to the transport required to shuttle many of the fans into the property. But it is hard to imagine that the situation would have been similar had Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy been closing in on setting up a commanding lead before the final day.
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Shinnecock has provided an excellent stage for this week’s event. It is always difficult to get the setup exactly right when so much is down to the weather.
It would be a shame if the crowds proved to be similarly sparse on Sunday evening, particularly if there does end up being some twists and turns over the final 18 holes.
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