Wyndham Clark won the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday, but he sure didn’t make it easy on himself.

One year after his ugly Oakmont Country Club locker-room incident made him one of golf’s more polarizing stars, Clark walked into another brutal U.S. Open test and left with the trophy. This time, the damage wasn’t to the furniture. It was to the rest of the field.

Clark closed with a 3-over 73 and finished at 4 under, holding off a hard-charging Sam Burns by one shot to claim his second U.S. Open title. It was tense, messy and uncomfortable at times, but it was also a major championship gut-check.

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Starting the day with a six-shot lead, Clark looked like he might cruise. Instead, Shinnecock Hills punched back. Burns caught fire early, pouring in birdies and cutting the deficit to one as Clark stumbled through a shaky front nine.

For a while, it felt like Clark was flirting with one of the worst Sunday collapses in major championship history.

Then came the shot that changed everything.

On the par-5 16th, Clark drove into the tall native grass left of the fairway. A disaster felt possible. Instead, he hacked it back into play, wedged to 24 1/2 feet and buried the birdie putt that gave him the cushion he desperately needed.

Even that didn’t end the drama. Clark three-putted the par-3 17th, trimming his lead back to one. But on 18, needing two putts from more than 50 feet to win, he handled the moment like a veteran. His first putt stopped inches away, and the tap-in sealed it.

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Burns finished second at 3 under after a brilliant final-round 67. Tom Kim took third at 1 under, while Scottie Scheffler, Keith Mitchell and J.T. Poston tied for fourth at even par.

Clark’s second U.S. Open win in just six starts puts him in rare company. More importantly, it rewrites the story around him. He didn’t fold. He didn’t melt down. He survived Shinnecock, stared down the noise and walked away as a two-time U.S. Open champion.