American Wyndham Clark held his nerve in Los Angeles as he won his first Major at the US Open after a tense battle with Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy.

Clark and fellow countryman Rickie Fowler started the day on 10 under par at the Los Angeles Country Club.

The former handled the occasion best as he carded a level-par 70 to claim his first Major on 10-under, while McIlroy finished second after ending the tournament with a even-par round.

Clark's success ensured he would scoop the huge winner's cheque and he will now hope to build on an already incredible year.

What	The Open Championship
Where	Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England
When	Thursday 20th July - Sunday 23rd July, 2023
How to watch	Sky Sports Golf & Main Event
Odds	Rory McIlroy 15/2, Jon Rahm 9/1, Scottie Scheffler 9/1, Brooks Koepka 14/1, Cameron Smith 16/1

Clark shows maturity to land US Open

The last six weeks for Clark have been a whirlwind, to say the least, and he has gone from never winning on the PGA Tour to winning two events in just over a month.

Clark beat Xander Schauffele by four strokes to win the Wells Fargo Championship in May, however nobody but the 29-year-old would have expected him to go on and win his first Major in Los Angeles.

After three gutsy rounds, Clark put himself in a great position, but the weight of expectation was expected to be too much for the Arizona native.

Clark never relinquished top spot during a nerve wracking final day and, even when he blew a three-shot lead with four holes to play after back-to-back bogeys, he managed to regain his composure to land a historic first Major.

After getting his hands on the US Open trophy for the first time, Clark dedicated his win to his mum Lise, who died of breast cancer aged 54 in 2013.

He said: "I just felt like my mum was watching over me today. She can't be here - I miss you Mum - but I just feel like I've worked so hard and dreamed about this moment for so long.

"There's been so many times I've visualised about being here in front of you guys and winning this championship. I just feel like it was my time."

Clark will now get the chance to recharge ahead of the Open Championship in July, and he is 33/1 to win back-to-back Majors.
 

McIlroy vows to end Major drought

After a turbulent few weeks off the course, McIlroy showcased his best golf to finish second, but he failed to convert any chances on Sunday to move into the lead.

McIlroy last won a Major in 2014, when he won the PGA Championship in Kentucky, but he is adamant he will eventually win his fifth Major title.

He has registered nine top-five finishes and had to endure several near misses, but the 34-year-old is confident he can come again and add his name to the record books.

He told reporters: "When I finally win this next Major, it's going to be really, really sweet.

"I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another Major championship.

"The golf course was playing really tricky, but all in all, I played a solid round. It is fine margins at this level, at this tournament especially, but I fought to the very end.

"I'll keep coming back until I get another one."

McIlroy finished third at last year's Open Championship and he is 15/2 to win this year's event at Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake.

Fowler can build on Los Angeles display

World number one Scottie Scheffler finished best of the rest in third after ending the week on seven-under-par, but the story of the week aside from Clark's success was Fowler's performance.

The fan favourite has still to win a Major and, even though he settled for a five-over 75 on Sunday, there were signs he can get back to his best and compete at the top of the sport in the months ahead.

Fowler's bogey at the 18th was his seventh overall as he fell away, and he had to settle for a share of fifth alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Min Woo Lee.

Australia's Cameron Smith ended the week with a round of 67 to finish fourth, while Jon Rahm, Austin Eckroat, Schauffele and Dustin Johnson all shared 10th place in Los Angeles.

Johnson wasted several opportunities on the greens to move into contention, and if he can fix those issues before playing at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, he will be one to consider at 25/1.