Wyndham Clark pulls away for 5-shot lead at Bellerive over McIlroy and Cantlay

St. Louis (AP) — Leading by five shots at the BMW Championship, Wyndham Clark put on a strong performance at Bellerive Country Club. Initially bogey-free through 36 holes, he faced a setback on the first hole, landing in the right rough and hitting a double bogey. However, Clark quickly regained momentum, scoring five birdies in an eight-hole stretch.

Despite a bogey on the final hole, he maintained a commanding 5-under 65 and a five-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay. Clark expressed relief after a difficult start, stating, "Hit a bad shot on 2, but then really made a nice recovery and then got into a nice groove after that." This marked the second time this year that Clark had led by at least five shots before the final round, previously doing so at the U.S. Open where he won by one.

McIlroy and Cantlay, despite a late surge, were tied for second, second-place positions that are more advantageous for them in the FedEx Cup standings.