2026 U.S. Open, Round 3 recap: Wyndham Clark builds six-shot lead entering finale

At least it’s golden hour Fitz...

NBC

Scottie is currently tied for second on the leaderboard after finishing Round 3 and Sunday the world No. 1 has a lot to celebrate:

• 30th Birthday 🎉
• Father’s Day 🩷
• Career Grand Slam?!

Scheffler sits five back from the lead right now, lots of golf left to come at Shinnecock...

Sam Burns was disappointed with how this birdie putt went on No. 14.

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Burns bogeyed No. 10 and No. 13 so was looking forward to making up a shot at the par-4. Instead he settled for par and sits T-5 with four holes left on his back nine.

Emiliano Grillo and Scottie Scheffler.

The number of players to card lower than par rounds on Saturday at Shinnecock Hills is two.

That’s it, folks.

Grillo who has been sitting comfortable after shooting a 67 on Moving Day is T-5. Scheffler, who has a chance to meet Sam Stevens in a tie for second, settles for T-3 right now after carding a 1-under 69.

For what it’s worth, just two players are in at even: Tommy Fleetwood and Michael Kim each carded 70s. Fleetwood is T-11 and Kim is T-20.

A potential pivotal moment at the 126th U.S. Open: What if Wyndham Clark’s par putt at No. 10 lipped out rather than go 360 and sink in?

We’ll never know an alternative because Clark is onto the par-3 11th hole unscathed after a pretty ridiculous up and down.

He hold a four shot lead on Sam Stevens.

Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler are the only players under par.

Wyndham Clark was caught on the broadcast bemoaning his third round on the 10th hole at Shinnecock Hills.

“Wow! We’re just making mistake after mistake,” the 2023 U.S. Open winner said after his approach shot went skipping over the green.

He has a three shot lead over Sam Stevens, with Scottie Scheffler making a charge on his back nine.

Clark, who carded a 36 on his front nine, has been the wire-to-wire leader at the 126th U.S. Open.

Nobody does more on the course than a caddie. Take no better example than Ted Scott here at the 16th hole at Shinnecock making sure Scottie Scheffler wasn’t being held up.

Scheffler’s heater continued on 16 where he birdied for the third straight hole. Who’s to say it would have happened without Scott’s assertiveness!

Scottie Scheffler’s birdie fest on the back nine at Shinnecock continues at the par-5 No. 16 where the world No. 1 just birdied his third straight hole — his fourth on the back nine after opening his third round bogey-bogey.

Scheffler has two holes left and is currently T-3 with Tom Kim and Xander Schauffele who just started their back nines.

Wyndham Clark leads by two over Sam Stevens (-4).

The crowd continues to erupt at Shinnecock Hills as Scottie Scheffler continues his ascent up the U.S. Open leaderboard.

Scheffler’s approach shot on 16 set him up with an eagle putt. If he makes it he will be three back of Wyndham Clark.

He’s birdied the previous two holes and sits T-3.

The merchandise is being MOVED at Shinnecock Hills.

NBC’s broadcast reports 80,000 hats are expected to be sold this week at the 126th U.S. Open.

The 35,000-square-foot merchandise tent that is off the fairway at No. 10 also has 450,000 customized items.

Emiliano Grillo hoped that the wind would be a factor late Saturday and the current clubhouse leader has gotten what he wanted — just six players are under par as of 5:45 p.m. ET on Moving Day.

Shinnecock has played much harder historically but that is not to discredit the work of wire-to-wire leader Wyndham Clark, Sam Stevens, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns and Tom Kim.

Those are the names who sit above Grillo now who is T-7 with 18 holes to play and has seen his name trickle slowly upward from T-12 when finished his third round two hours ago.

What did Wyndham Clark’s bag ever do to you, Mother Nature? The wind was whipping so hard on that the leader of the 2026 U.S. Open couldn’t even keep his equipment upright on the front nine on Saturday.

The crowd liked what they saw at No. 14 ...

The Shinnecock Hills crowd roared as Scottie Scheffler birdied for the second time on his back nine to pull within even at the 126th U.S. Open.

Possibly a big turning moment for Scheffler if goes on to complete the career Grand Slam this week. Still a lot of work to be done on that front — he’s T-6 at even but seven shots of Wyndham Clark.

Scheffler’s facial reaction from NBC’s live broadcast says it all.

NBC Sports

Rory McIlroy went from in the hunt to back to seven shots behind leader Wyndham Clark.

Three straight birdies on his front nine have been undone with bogeys at No. 10 and No. 12.

Despite being right back to how he started the day, McIlroy has technically moved up on the leaderboard. That shows the carnage taking place on Moving Day where Emiliano Grillo has been the only player able to tame Shinnecock.

Grillo, who is in the clubhouse with a 67, is T-6 with McIlroy a little after 5 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Sam Stevens has gained a shot on Wyndham Clark on the front nine at Shinnecock Hills but the wire-to-wire leader is back to 7 under after a birdie putt at No. 5.

Stevens has a chance for a birdie at the par-4 sixth so his deficit could go back down to two shots — the closest anybody’s been to Clark since Thursday.

Nobody has been within a single shot of the lead in more than 25 holes now at the U.S. Open.

The 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills will be remembered at the course’s final hole Sunday with custom-made cups marked “THE SHOT OF HIS LIFE!’

Under the words honoring Johnny Miller’s iconic call is a silhouette of 1995 champ Corey Pavin with his arms outstretched after conquering No. 18.

Argentine Emiliano Grillo is in the clubhouse with a 67, and that score is looking like it may hold as the lowest round of the day at Shinnecock Hills.

Time will tell ... for now it might be good to hear from the one player who’s proven capable of taming the course on Moving Day.

Emiliano Grillo sets early U.S. Open pace Saturday at Shinnecock

Grillo found himself sitting inside the interview room on a warm, windswept Saturday afternoon at Shinnecock, his 3-under 67 setting the early pace by three strokes.

• Brentley Romine,

• Brentley Romine,

The only other players under par are all still playing their respective third rounds: Sam Burns (T-3), Rory McIlroy (T-5) and Keith Mitchell (T-5).

Grillo is T-8 as of 4:45 p.m. ET.

Justin Thomas opened the day with three straight bogeys and found himself in desperate need to make up some of the damage at the par-5 fifth.

He did more than just that with an eagle putt, which not only stopped the bleeding — it got him back inside Shinnecock’s top 10. Here’s a look:

Is this guy for real? Like seriously, Xander Schauffele is so damn good with the putter.

Respect. Kudos. Running out of words for it. Hopefully this graphic from our friends at NBC Sports paints a robust picture of what we’re talking about.

NBC Sports

Dylan Wu became a late live blog sensation Friday at Shinnecock as his final hole solidified the cut line at +4 .

His third round started less than ideally, and he’s far from contention after carding an 82.

But ... it’s all a matter of perspective.

Dylan Wu laughs at himself after five-putting his first hole in the third round at the US Open

Dylan Wu got the chance to lead off the weekend at the U.S. Open after making the cut by the skin of a 7-foot bogey putt.

• Associated Press,

• Associated Press,

Rory McIlroy is in the hunt at Shinnecock after three consecutive birdies on his front nine.

The best of the trio was this 66-foot putt on the par-3 No. 6.

He followed that up with another birdie on 7, and sits T-4 on Moving Day.

Perhaps most important, the final pairing of Wyndham Clark and Matt Fitzpatrick missed par putts on No. 1.

McIlroy is just four shots back of Clark’s lead now.

The leaderboard is tightening up at Shinnecock Hills.

Minutes before the clock struck 4 p.m. on Moving Day, U.S. Open leader Wyndham Clark bogeyed the first hole to drop to 6 under on the tournament.

His lead is just two shots over Sam Stevens, who birdied No. 1 about 25 minutes earlier.

Playing with Clark in the final pairing, Matt Fitzpatrick also went down on the leaderboard after missing his putt for par on the first hole.

Fitzpatrick’s deficit remains four shots despite the bumpy start to his round.

Wyndham Clark’s lead has been chipped away at by a shot, thanks to an early birdie from Sam Stevens.

He and Matt Fitzpatrick are off the first tee.

Fitzpatrick who was in a tie for second with Stevens is technically now T-3 before finishing a hole on Moving Day.

Some serious company awaits Fitzpatrick if he is able to breakthrough and find himself in the winner’s circle at Shinnecock.

Just five U.S. Open winners have opened with a double bogey over the last 100 tournaments.

Sam Stevens, who sits solo second and three shots off the lead, would make it six if walks away from Shinnecock a major champion this week.

And if he does he would be joining the likes of Bobby Jones, Craig Wood, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods.

The last time a player shot double bogey and persevered all the way to the U.S. Open winner’s circle? Lucas Glover in 2009 on the Black Course of Bethpage State Park.

Shinnecock has not been kind to Ludvig Åberg on Saturday as the Swede is going the opposite direction you want to be moving in on Moving Day.

Åberg opened with back to back bogeys, and he has gone on to card four more. He has the room for more errors, too, with seven holes still to play.

While the horizon has been mostly stormy for Åberg in his quest for a first major title, there was a break in the clouds at the par-3 No. 11.

There’s one player hoping for windier conditions at Shinnecock Saturday afternoon: Emiliano Grillo.

The Argentine has submitted the lowest third round so far at the U.S. Open with a 3-under 67 that included four straight birdies on No. 6 through No. 9.

“Shinnecock you have to be on the right spot on the greens, and I was able to do that today,” he told NBC Sports before heading into the clubhouse for some lunch and rest. “I had a good run there from 6 through 9 and somehow I bogeyed 10 and par saved on 11. And from there, I was just trying to hang on and get into the clubhouse.”

Grillo, who is the only player in with a Round 3 score lower than par, sits T-12 on the leaderboard as of 3:20 p.m. He brought his score up to even through 54 punishing holes out on Southampton, New York, after shooting 73-70 to open the major.

As for the weather?

“Hoping the weatherman gets it wrong,” he said, joking about the wind picking up.

The par-4 third is playing as the toughest hole in Round 3 and it got Rory McIlroy. He drops to 1 over, eight back of Wyndham Clark.

He’s now tied for 28th and nine off the lead.

After missing the fairway, finding more fescue with his second and a bunker with his third, Scheffler gets up and down for a bogey-5 to drop to 1 over.

McIlroy, like Scheffler, also found the rough off the tee at No. 1.

Scottie Scheffler continues his bid for the career Grand Slam with a low-cut into the rough at the par-4 first.

Wu five-putted the opening hole in making a quadruple-bogey 8 and added nine bogeys and one birdie to his card for a 12-over 82.

Jackson Koivun, who is making his final amateur start, is 1 over par on the day at the turn. Miles Russell, 17, is 3 over.

Koivun is 4 over, total. Russell is 6 over.

Michael Kim is 2 under through eight holes. Jordan Spieth (thru 5) and Emiliano Grillo (6) are 1 under.

Fearing his ball will be blown off the false front on the first hole, Spieth hustles to the green.

Just hole out from off it.

But Caleb Surratt made the first birdie — of anyone! — in the third round.