Controversial U.S. Open winner skies up Masters leaderboard at Augusta National

The 90th Masters Tournament is shaping up to be a who’s who leaderboard at Augusta National. Reigning champion Rory McIlroy shared the overnight lead with former Ryder Cup player Sam Burns at 5-under par.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler played well and was three back. He was joined by Justin Rose, who plays this course about as well as anyone. There were several other former major champions inside the top 10.

On Friday, another major winner joined the fray.

Wyndham Clark fired off a 4-under 68 after finishing even par on Thursday. That moved him inside the top 5, with much of the golf still to be played. Even though he will likely be more than one back entering the weekend, Clark gave himself a chance at a green jacket.

He played phenomenal golf on Friday, picking up more than five shots tee-to-green on the field. His iron play was on point, ranking second on strokes gained-approach. That was the part of his game that put him on the map.

Clark won the 2023 U.S. Open at the mysterious Los Angeles Country Club. He fended off McIlroy and others that fateful Sunday to win his first major championship.

But his rise to stardom has been stunted. Following a meltdown at Oakmont where he dismantled part of the locker room in frustration, Clark was banned from the property. He has unfortunately had other anger-related instances on the course since that time.

But his ability is not in question. He has stared down the best and come out on top before. Clark is never shy of the moment. If he can continue striking the ball cleanly and improve his putting, a Masters victory could be in his future.

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