Wyndham Clark took Shinnecock’s best punch on Saturday and he didn’t fall.

While most of his chasers were falling back, the Denver native fired a 70 in windy and firm conditions, where only two players broke par, to hold a six-shot lead after the third round of the U.S. Open in Southampton, N.Y. He had one eagle, the only one on the 16th hole all week, and two birdies on the day.

“It was very up and down, holy smokes. I hit some good shots; I hit some terrible shots,” Clark told reporters. “I was a little frustrated with myself with some of the execution. You know, at the end of the day, I improved my lead, which is awesome, and I shot even par on a very tough golf course.”

Clark’s putter helped him maintain his lead throughout a tough third round. Clutch par putts at the ninth, 10th and 11th holes kept Clark’s round from spiraling out of control. The 32-year-old had 28 putts and gained 2.29 strokes putting, which was fourth best on Saturday.

“I mean, they’re huge,” Clark said about his par-saving putts. “That’s what you have to make to win U.S. Opens. You’re not going to have too, too many birdie putts, and when you do miss, it’s really hard to hit a gimme, so you’ve got to make those kind of 5- to 12-footers.”

The Valor Christian grad has led the U.S. Open since Thursday evening, when he had a chance to play in the easiest conditions of the tournament. He shot 64 in the first round and has never looked back.

In the last four U.S. Opens at Shinnecock, no 36-hole leader has gone on to win the tournament. Clark, who now has the third-largest 54-hole lead since World War II — after Tiger Woods in 2000 and Rory McIlroy in 2011) — is looking to change that on Sunday.

Twenty-four players have won two or more U.S. Opens, including Colorado icon Hale Irwin, who has three wins in the nation’s championship. When Clark won the U.S. Open in 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club, he became the first golfer born in Colorado to win a major. Steve Jones and Irwin both attended the University of Colorado but were born in New Mexico and Missouri, respectively.

“I would say I’m definitely a lot more confident and believe I can do it. I’d say in ’23 there were still doubts,” Clark said. “Not necessarily doubts, but I hadn’t done it, so there was a lot of unknown. Now that I have done it, I know I can do it, and I can do it again.”

Scottie Scheffler, who is trying to win the career grand slam and will be paired with Clark in the final round, is 1 under after a 69 to vault him into a tie for second place with Tom Kim, Sahith Theegala and Sam Stevens at six shots back.

“I’ve always enjoyed the more challenging setups,” Scheffler told reporters. “If you’re hitting great shots, for the most part, you’re going to get rewarded, and if you’re hitting good shots, you’re going to be a little bit on the edge.

“So just go out there (Sunday), continue to try and execute. I did a really good job of that on the back nine today, and keep that momentum going into tomorrow’s round.”

A six-shot rally would be one shy of the biggest final-round comeback in U.S. Open history. That belongs to Arnold Palmer, back in 1960 at Cherry Hills.

“Scottie is the best player in the world, and he’s going to play probably really good,” Clark said. “He always does, but it’s nice to have a six-shot lead on him.”