Wyndham Clark battled the big green monster that is Shinnecock Hills and a few unruly Scottie Scheffler fans to win his second US Open and second major overall. Clark, who has weathered more than his share of controversy since his last US Open win, showed nerves of steel throughout an Open that pushed every PGA player to the limits of their skill set. I'd like to think the work he's done with sport psychologist Julie Elion had something to do with it. I have an MS in sport psychology myself and know well the value of the mental game, especially in moments like Sunday at Shinnecock.
With the cut at +4, several early favorites never made it to moving day, including J.J. Spaun and Jon Rahm. Clark spent the final round paired with Scheffler, who earned the spot grinding to a four-way tie for second through 54 holes and ended up +1 (71) on Sunday to finish even par and T4. His US Open and Grand Slam will have to wait at least one more year.
The Tour now tees up nearby in Cromwell, CT for the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands and will serve as the season’s final Signature Event. Far from a weekend off after what was one of the greater mental and physical tests of the season in the Hamptons, we have another competitive weekend of golf to look forward to.
The Setup: Tournament Stakes, Field, and Storylines
The Travelers carries a $20 million purse, $3.6 million to the winner, and a no-cut format that lets all 72 players compete across four full rounds. The field is major-like minus Rory, who is sitting out his third Signature Event of 2026. Scheffler, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, and US Open champion Clark will all tee it up again Thursday, June 25.
Defending champion Keegan Bradley is as close to a hometown hero as you get here, with the New England native besting Fleetwood and Henley by a shot a year ago for his second Travelers title. He also won in 2023 and still owns the tournament's 72-hole scoring record at -23.
Scheffler is in a strange spot for a World No. 1, still searching for his first Signature Event victory of the season. That drought comes despite consistently putting himself in contention, including another strong performance at Shinnecock. But he has real course history here, including a win in 2024 and a T6 last year.
Then there is Clark, fresh off what many might call the most draining win of his career. I disagree. I think it only fired him up more and reinforced everything he has put into becoming a complete player. If he pulls out a back-to-back win, we all need to get on Julie Elion's schedule, or at least buy her book.
The Course: What It Demands and What It Punishes
TPC River Highlands plays to a par of 70 and runs on the short side at 6,844 yards. The Travelers Championship has been played here since 1991, with the course itself dating back to 1928 and designed by Robert Moss and Maurice Kearney. Pete Dye gave it a complete redesign in 1982, and Bobby Weed added a renovation in 1989. The defining stretch comes on the back nine, where holes 15 through 17 wrap around a four-acre lake. The 296-yard, drivable but water-guarded par-4 15th is tempting, and has set up more final-round blowups than almost any closing stretch on Tour.
Don't mistake short for soft, either. Fairways are generous, but the smaller, sharply contoured greens punish anyone who isn't precise with mid-irons and wedges. The course has historically favored plotters over bombers, though recent winners prove length is not a disqualifier. Anyone can win here with precision being a critical factor, and the no-cut format leaves the door open all weekend.
Who Fits Here: Player Archetypes and Names to Know
Course history leads the way with Brian Harman, who has finished top 10 here five straight years, Patrick Cantlay, who remains winless here despite a worst finish of T15 in eight starts, and Bradley, whose record and titles put him in that same company. Scheffler manages to fit wherever he plays, and over the last three years at Cromwell he has a win (2024), a T6 (2025), and a T4 (2023).
Then there is the precision-over-power archetype this course rewards. Count on Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood, and Cantlay to be hanging near the top or pressing whoever is leading. Thomas is worth noting in particular, having finished 10th or better in three straight visits to TPC River Highlands, including a T5 in 2024.
Betting Board: Odds, Angles, and Smart Plays
FanDuel currently has Scheffler as the outright favorite at +440, with Fleetwood and Schauffele next at +1800, Ludvig Aberg at +2000, Sam Burns, likely still recovering from the missed birdie putt late on Sunday that could have rewritten the ending at Shinnecock, sitting at +2200 alongside Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, and Si Woo Kim, and Thomas at +2700. Clark and Cantlay sit further back at +3300.
DraftKings agrees with Scheffler at +440, followed by Schauffele at +1450, Aberg at +1700, Fleetwood at +1750, Young at +2000, Fitzpatrick at +2200, Burns at +2250, Cantlay at +2700, Clark at +2800, and Thomas at +2900.
Practical angle: with the US Open champion, the World No. 1, and a defending champion with real home-course advantage all bunched near the top, there is value just behind the headline names, including Thomas and Bradley at +5000 on FanDuel and +4900 on DraftKings. Schauffele feels due as well.
One-and-Done and Season-Long Strategy
Use Scheffler if you have been saving him, since his history at this course holds up even though his Signature Event results have not this year. Expect him to land in the top five this weekend. If you would rather not bet on him snapping that near-miss streak, Schauffele and Young both offer strong course fit at better prices. Cantlay and Harman are reliable plays for their consistency here, and Bradley's course record combined with the hometown crowd makes him interesting even at the longer number.
What I'm Watching When the First Tee Shot Flies
I am watching where Bradley, Harman, Cantlay, and Thomas land after the first 18 holes, along with who surprises. I am watching Scheffler to see whether he can sit atop the leaderboard after round one or whether he will be climbing from behind again. Either way, he is always a threat.
I am also interested to see if Burns can find some redemption, and whether Clark comes back firing after such an emotional win, more from a sport psychology angle than anything else.
And I am watching holes 15 through 17 around the lake on Thursday to see who is pressing and who is playing smart. With a no-cut field this deep and a course this scoreable, somebody's weekend will be defined by their mental game and their execution.
The Takeaway
Shinnecock Hills gave us a two-time US Open champion in Clark, who had to win the tournament despite plenty of distractions. Cromwell will feel like a friendly neighborhood par 3 this week, yet it offers a different test, shorter and hopefully less hostile to whoever is on top.
But with $20 million at stake, nobody will be treating this like a casual week. This is one of the Tour's deepest non-major fields even without McIlroy. With one more major and the FedEx Cup playoffs still ahead, this final Signature Event in the New England sun gives the illusion of a break. It is not.
And for those of us watching and betting, that only adds to Sunday Funday.
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