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Winners and Losers From Third Round of the 2026 U.S. Open: Shinnecock Punches Back

From Wyndham Clark’s dominance to Shinnecock returning to form, here are the best (and worst) moments from Saturday at the U.S. Open.
Tom Dierberger, Andy Nesbitt|
A general view of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club during the 2026 U.S. Open.
A general view of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club during the 2026 U.S. Open. | Erick Rasco/Sports Illustrated

We are less than 24 hours away from crowning the 2026 U.S. Open champion at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

In Saturday’s third round, the greens were sped up and the wind was howling in Southampton, setting the stage for some highly entertaining U.S. Open golf. Those unfriendly conditions led to plenty of chaos in the third round, as scorecards were submitted anywhere from a three-under 67 (hello, Emiliano Grillo!) to a 12-over 82. 

Fifty-four holes down, 18 to go. Even with Wyndham Clark’s six-stroke lead, there’s plenty still to be decided. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the third round of the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock: 

Winner: Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

With its reputation as the greatest test in American golf on the line, Shinnecock finally punched back on Saturday. The pin placements and conditions were much less favorable as they were on Thursday, when 16 players shot under par, and on Friday, when 24 players shot one-under or better. On Saturday, Grillo and Scottie Scheffler were the only golfers to shoot under par. The leaderboard looks much more like a major at Shinnecock, where only three golfers have previously finished the U.S. Open under par. 

Loser: Everyone not named Scottie Scheffler

Oh boy. Here comes Scottie. Scheffler struggled to find much momentum on Thursday and Friday, but he found it in the third round. After starting the day with back-to-back bogeys, Scheffler locked in for seven straight pars before hitting the turn, and then he shot 32 on the back to card a one-under 69. The man is looking dangerous. Just in time for a storybook run Sunday at the U.S. Open—on his 30th birthday, no less, and in his first attempt to become the seventh PGA Tour golfer to win the career grand slam. 

Winner: Wyndham Clark’s putter

Another full day has passed at Shinnecock, and Clark remains in the lead. He was flawless with the putter on Saturday until he missed a four-footer for par on the 18th green. Of Clark’s 11 pars on the day, five were clinched on par putts from at least 5’4” away, including a beautiful 14-footer on the par-4 13th hole. He also hit arguably the best shot of the day, which led to him knocking in an easy four-foot putt to tally the first eagle on the 16th hole of the week. 

Loser: Rory McIlroy spirals the wrong way

Saturday seemed like a great day for McIlroy to make a serious move up the leaderboard, and it looked like he was going to do just that on the front nine when he made three birdies in a row on holes 5, 6 and 7. But then he fell apart on the back nine with five bogeys and no birdies. His third-round 73 has him at three-over par for the tournament, and he’ll need to do something really special on Sunday if he wants to be a factor at all down the stretch. 

NEXT: Miles Russell and Jackson Koivun Prove the 'Future of Golf' Is Strong at U.S. Open

Winner: Angel Hidalgo for hitting just the coolest shot

The 28-year-old Spaniard is playing in his first U.S. Open and not only did he make the cut, but also on Saturday he hit the coolest shot of the tournament. Hidalgo, whose lone DP World Tour win came in a playoff over Jon Rahm in 2024, grabbed his 3-wood from 260 yards out on the par-5 5th hole and smashed a low shot with a cut-off follow-through that hit the ground well before the green and then rolled all the way up on the putting surface. He missed his eagle putt but was able make a two-footer for birdie. Just look at this beautiful shot: 

Winner: Emiliano Grillo

Nobody had a better round Saturday than Grillo, who shrugged off the troubles Shinnecock was giving others and logged a three-under 67 thanks to four straight birdies on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th holes. Entering the day tied for 46th place, Grillo will head into Sunday tied for sixth.

Loser: Dylan Wu

We hate putting Wu here as a loser because he is a fantastic story. But Shinnecock is ruthless. Wu, playing in his first major since the 2023 U.S. Open, was the last golfer to punch his ticket to the weekend with a par on the 18th hole Friday night. He actually had a chance to move the cut line and send 12 players home had he scored a birdie on that hole, but he didn’t, and those 12 players made the cut. How did karma pay him back? With a five-putt for a snowman on his first hole of the third round. Wu wrapped up Saturday shooting a 12-over 82, and sits in last place at 16-over for the tournament. But hey, he made the cut. And nobody can take that away from him.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is the Deputy News Director at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor’s in communication from St. John’s University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

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