Wyndham Clark is marching toward a second US Open crown in three years, seizing a dominant four‑shot lead at the halfway mark while Australia endured its bleakest major championship day in more than six decades. Not a single Australian made the cut at Shinnecock Hills the first time that has happened since 1959 as Cameron Smith, Min Woo Lee, Lucas Herbert and Adam Scott all faltered on the brutal layout.
Clark, meanwhile, showed no signs of trouble. After returning early Friday to complete his weather‑delayed opening round a stretch that briefly cut his lead in half the 2023 champion regained full control. He backed up his opening 64 with a composed 69, moving to seven under and opening a sizeable gap over Xander Schauffele, Sam Stevens, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tom Kim.
The American even apologised for his now‑infamous locker‑room outburst earlier in the week, but his golf has done all the talking since.
Behind him, Collin Morikawa surged into contention with a brilliant 65, climbing to two under and sitting solo sixth, five shots back. Fellow dual‑major winner Justin Thomas is one stroke further behind after rounds of 71‑68.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, chasing the elusive career grand slam, moved ominously into the mix with a tidy 68, reaching even par and a share of 11th.
But the biggest drama belonged to Dustin Johnson, Clark’s closest challenger after round one. Johnson opened with a vintage 66 and stayed at four under through 10 holes of his second round before suffering a catastrophic collapse. Over four disastrous holes, he dropped eight shots, including a quadruple‑bogey eight on the 15th, tumbling to three over and out of contention.
As Clark powers ahead and the chasing pack reshuffles, the US Open is shaping into a test of nerve and right now, the defending champion looks untouchable.
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