Winners, Losers & Payouts: 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills

The final round of the 2026 U.S. Open was a 5+ hour stress test for everyone who teed it up, even if they were never in contention – but especially nervy for Wyndham Clark, who battled demons in his head and in the stands.

Clark entered Sunday at Shinnecock Hills holding a seemingly comfortable six-shot lead, but anyone familiar with U.S. Open golf knew better. Sam Burns made sure of it. The Louisiana native fired a brilliant 3-under 67, applying pressure throughout the afternoon and briefly making it look as though one of the largest final-round comebacks in major championship history was about to unfold. Until it didn’t. His putt on the final hole missed by a whisker as he fell to his knees. He had given his all, but it wasn’t enough to catch Clark and his nearly historic 54-hole lead. It was, however, good enough to pocket $2.43 million and surely lock up his spot on the US Presidents Cup squad, which will tee it up later this year.  

Clark, meanwhile, wasn’t exactly cruising. The former champion battled a hostile New York crowd and looked shaky at best on the front nine as his lead slowly evaporated. But when the tournament reached its defining moment, Clark delivered a birdie at the par-5 16th and ultimately signed for a closing 73 to finish at 4-under par, one shot clear of Burns. The victory earned Clark his second U.S. Open title and a record-setting winner’s check of $4.5 million.

Tom Kim quietly authored one of the best performances of the week. While the spotlight remained fixed on Clark and Burns, Kim posted an even-par 70 on Sunday to finish alone in third place at 1-under par, earning him $1.5 million and enough FedEx Cup points to allow him to sleep better heading into the final third of the season.  

Scottie Scheffler, J.T. Poston, and Keith Mitchell tied for fourth at even par, each taking home just under $1 million. Poston’s closing 67 matched Burns for one of the best rounds among the contenders, while Scheffler simply couldn’t generate enough birdies to mount a serious charge despite hanging around the leaderboard all afternoon. From tee to green he played good enough golf to win, but his putting let him down all weekend.

Not everyone survived Shinnecock’s annual beatdown. Former U.S. Open champions Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau all packed their bags on Friday after missing the cut. Defending champion J.J. Spaun never made it to the weekend either. Shane Lowry, Cameron Smith, Rickie Fowler, Harris English, and several other notable names joined the early exit list as Shinnecock once again reminded everyone why it remains one of the most demanding tests in championship golf.

Even among those who made the weekend, Sunday wasn’t kind. Rory McIlroy entered the week among the favorites but never seriously threatened the lead and faded to a tie for 32nd. Others spent much of the final round trying to avoid disaster rather than chase birdies. At Shinnecock Hills, surviving is often just as impressive as contending.

For all the noise surrounding Wyndham Clark entering the week, he delivered the only response that mattered.

And after victories at the Byron Nelson and the U.S. Open, Clark heads to Royal Birkdale as one of the hottest golfers in the world, a likely Presidents Cup candidate, a serious Ryder Cup contender, and a player who suddenly looks capable of adding even more hardware to an already impressive résumé.

The rest of the golf world has officially been put on notice.

Winners & Losers from Sunday Shinnecock:

Losers: Hecklers. Anyone who tries to distract a player mid-swing, no matter how unlikable they are, is a troubled trust fund dork or a drunk piece of shit.

Loser: USGA. Giving Joaquin Niemann a 2-stroke penalty on Thursday for throwing a club seems biased. How many other players who teed it up should have also received a penalty? There is no way only Niemann deserved it. Either give it to them all, or to no one.

Winner: Tom Kim. His performance on Sunday was pretty stellar for a player who has been fighting his confidence for the better part of two years. Still only 24, Kim should take away from Shinnecock a good amount of confidence leading into the final stretch of the season. Look out for Kim to bring home a trophy at some point in 2026.

Loser: Alex Fitzpatrick. He let his big brother Matt beat him by a stroke in the tourney. LOSER! Both bros shot 3-over 73s on Sunday.

Winner: Sam Burns. Any scars that lingered from his demise at Oakmont last year were wiped clean with the 67 he posted Sunday at Shinnecock to finish in solo 2nd. Sam Burns will win a major championship before his career ends. We have no doubt.   

US Open 2026 prize money payouts