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Can anybody catch Wyndham Clark in final round of U.S. Open?
Wyndham Clark. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Can anybody catch Wyndham Clark in final round of U.S. Open?

Wyndham Clark's U.S. Open redemption continued on Saturday as he extended his lead at Shinnecock Hills and will take a six-stroke lead into Sunday's final round.

It is not only a commanding lead that is bordering on historic, but it should also be a nearly insurmountable lead if history is any guide. 

Losing a six-shot lead after 54 holes is almost unheard of in PGA Tour history

Not only would it be almost unheard of, but it would be tied for the largest blown lead after 54 holes in PGA Tour history.

And it's something that has only happened once in a Major.

While there have been a small handful of blown six-shot leads in smaller PGA Tour events, the only golfer to ever lose a six-shot lead after 54 holes at a Major was Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters. Masters lost that lead to Nick Faldo in one of the most stunning collapse/comeback results in PGA history.

It would take a similar meltdown/comeback for anybody to catch him on Sunday.

Especially since nobody has managed to gain any meaningful ground on him through the first three rounds.

Clark has extended his lead by two shots over the rest of the field in each round, going from two up on Thursday, to four up on Friday, to his current six-shot lead going into Sunday. 

Given the way the course is playing, with only five players under par through 54 holes, it seems even more unlikely that ground can be made up. 

Even if Clark comes back on Sunday and goes par for the second day in a row, it would require one of the four players that are entering the day one-under to shoot a 64 on Sunday to even force a playoff. 

There have only been three rounds of 65 or less in the entire tournament, and one of them came from Clark with his opening round 64 on Thursday.

The lowest round on Saturday was a 67 from Emiliano Grillo. Scottie Scheffler is the only other golfer that shot below a 70 in the third round (he shot 69).

Scheffler is one of the four players closest to Clark going into Sunday at minus-1, along with Sahith Theegala, Tom Kim and Sam Stevens.

Grillo, after his 67 on Saturday, is one of four golfers, along with Keith Mitchell, Sam Burns and Xander Schauffele, that are even through three rounds.

Those two groups are probably the only golfers that have a realistic shot at even getting close to Clark on Sunday. 

Scheffler might be the one to watch. Not only because he has posted two consecutive rounds under 70, and actually been two shots better than Clark over the second and third rounds, but also because he is still chasing the career grand slam.

The U.S. Open is the one tournament that has eluded him in that quest. 

If he manages to pull it off on Sunday, it will not only put him among golf's all-time legends; he will have done it in historic fashion. 

If Clark holds on, it will be his second U.S. Open championship, making him one of just 24 golfers to win the tournament multiple times. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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