Wyndham Clark fought off a hostile crowd at Shinnecock Hills to win his second US Open championship in four years, holding his nerve as spectators cheered his mistakes and reserved their loudest support for playing partner Scottie Scheffler. The United States Golf Association confirmed that several spectators were removed from the course after directing abusive comments at the 32-year-old American.
Clark, who started the final round with a six-shot lead, saw his advantage shrink to one on several occasions but never surrendered the lead, closing with a three-over-par 73. “It’s pretty rare in a major to have fans boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots,” he said afterwards. “Some of it’s self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself.”
The victory completed a remarkable turnaround from the lowest point of his professional career, which came after he missed the cut at Oakmont last year and kicked in two of the club’s lockers in frustration. Clark admitted he had been in a “dark place” and feared for his career and reputation. “It was a really tough two, three days for me,” he said.
Clark credited changes to his game and outlook, as well as a simple mental trick to cope with the hostile gallery. “Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive,” he said. He also made jokes with his caddie, Dave Markle. “If we heard someone cheer for me, I’d go: ‘Oh, there’s one person that likes me.’”
The win was made sweeter by the presence of his father, who took an overnight flight from Denver to be there for the finish. “He’s never been there to see me win,” Clark said. “Not only that, to finally have him there for a win is amazing, but especially on Father’s Day.”
