SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — The old lines are familiar: patience is a virtue, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and good things come to those who wait. In golf, though, patience is far harder to define — especially during a U.S. Open week when frustration and urgency seem to be served with every round.
Like most clichés, the idea sounds simple until it has to be put into practice.
Through nearly two rounds of the 2026 U.S. Open, Wyndham Clark has separated himself from the pack at Shinnecock Hills. The 2023 champion set a new 36-hole scoring mark at the venue, poured in 215 feet of putts and seized command of the championship along the way.
Still, sitting patiently in pursuit is a player who understands both the burden of waiting and the relief that comes when that burden finally eases.
Xander Schauffele is back near the top of a U.S. Open leaderboard. After acknowledging he showed some impatience during Thursday’s more favorable afternoon wave, Schauffele responded Friday morning with a 4-under 66, moving to 3 under for the championship.
The two-time major winner came to Shinnecock Hills with a spotless record of consistency in this event, having never finished worse than 15th at a U.S. Open — a run that began with his debut at Erin Hills, where he first had to survive final qualifying just to make the field.
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Plenty has occurred since then and now. He has two majors, an Olympic gold medal and a slew of accolades attached to his name. The yellow boxes on his Wikipedia page that indicate major top-10 finishes seem to multiply by the year. His rate of such results has surpassed the 50% mark with two in a row in 2026.
But while time marches on, Schauffele has continued to march to the beat of the same drum — just keep chipping away and the results will come.
“I’ve become very patient not knocking off any wins in the last couple years,” Schauffele said in his winning press conference at the 2024 PGA Championship. “The people closest to me know how stubborn I can be. Winning, I said it earlier, is a result. This is awesome. It’s super sweet. But when I break it down, I’m really proud of how I handled certain moments on the course today, different from the past.”
From a broader perspective, Schauffele has always been patient. His father has a saying that Schauffele abides by, “A steady drip caves the stone.”
This mantra was harped on in 2024 when pressure mounted via close calls at the Genesis Invitational and especially The Players Championship where he fell short down the stretch to Scottie Scheffler. That Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, Schauffele coincidentally shared a tee time with Clark.
Despite knowing some on the outside were sipping the “haterade” as he put after The Players, Schauffele kept at it. Two months later, his wait was over with the full weight of the Wanamaker Trophy lifted above his head at Valhalla. A couple months on and this time it was the Claret Jug.
The patience game was different in 2025. Due to a rib injury, Schauffele was sidelined for a few months. He didn’t feel 100% himself on the golf course for roughly a year and missed the Tour Championship for the first time in his career.
“It was a first for me,” Schauffele said. “It made me appreciate the game, for sure, and sort of what it does for me mentally and how happy it makes me. Obviously it pisses me off often, but at the same time, I really missed being out on Tour. I missed practicing.
“I have a kid now, so I have easier distractions and more tasks to do, but at this time it was just myself, my dogs, and my wife. She was sick of me being at home too long. I definitely missed playing golf and appreciated being able to play for such a long time.”
Schauffele’s wide-scale patience has been put on full display throughout his U.S. Open career. Every year, this tournament feels like a window into his gut. Friday was another prime example as fairways and greens were his diet of choice.
Schauffele hit an astounding 16 of 18 greens in regulation.
He was on cruise control for most of it before a speed bump on the par-5 5th produced his lone bogey. An unlikely birdie followed and a whole lot of patience, too. Birdie look after birdie look continued to materialize, and although not all fell, Schauffele kept chipping away at it.
“It’s just a lot of patience and good golf shots, for the most part,” Schauffele said. “I feel like U.S. Opens, the championship itself just wears you out. It’s a long way, and you really feel it after. If you can do some work in between, you can get rewarded for it. So that’s sort of what I try and do.”
For his effort, he finds himself closer to the top of the leaderboard. He’s not quite in the position he needs to be to raise this U.S. Open trophy, but he knows he’s on his way and with two days left for Schauffele to keep at it, chances are his patience will be every bit as valuable as any golf shot he hits.
“Whatever mountain I decide to be on,” Schauffele said. “I’m trying to climb it and just trying to chip away each and every day.”
