Wyndham Clark captured his second US Open title at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday but concedes he still has a lot of work to do to win back the fans after causing serious damage in the Oakmont Country Club locker room at last year’s event.
Clark held on to beat Sam Burns by one shot in a nerve-searing final round in Southampton, where many fans left before the end of his third round and heckled him during the fourth.
“New York didn’t really like me – I love you guys,” said Clark, who finished the tournament at four-under par. “But, you know, I get it. Some of it’s self deserved and I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret.”
Clark’s fiery temper saw him receive a ban from Oakmont for smashing lockers in a rage after missing the cut in 2025. At the PGA Championships the same year he was criticised for angrily throwing his driver after a poor tee shot.
Spectators have made their feeling clear about the incidents, and Clark said he had to tune out some of the needle from fans at Shinnecock Hills.
“I was kind of making jokes about it with (caddie David Pelekoudas) where if we heard someone cheer for me, I’d go, ‘Oh, there’s one person that likes me,’” said Clark, who also won the tournament in 2023.
“I’ve played now a Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup on foreign soil, and it kind of had that atmosphere a little bit.”
Clark has made no secret of the effort he has put into the mental side of his game, telling reporters he faced a long road back to regaining his composure.
“What happened at Oakmont was obviously the lowest point,” said Clark.
“I just felt a lot of my career, world ranking, reputation, everything just dwindling. That’s a terrible feeling. I would say in that moment I definitely didn’t think I’d be here this year doing this.”
Wyndham Clark held on through challenging conditions and an unfriendly crowd for a rare wire-to-wire win at the U.S. Open on Sunday, fending off a late charge by American Sam Burns in a nerve-searing finale at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
Clark became only the ninth ever true wire-to-wire U.S. Open winner, as he kept the outright lead following all four rounds, after Martin Kaymer in 2014, picking up the title for a second time.
The 2023 champion seemed nearly untouchable as he started the day at seven under par and six shots clear of the field but struggled to find the fairway on the front nine on the challenging Southampton course and some fans booed his efforts.
He cleaned up early mistakes to card a three-over-par 73 that left him at four-under for the tournament, and he hugged his dad after making an easy putt to clinch it on Father’s Day.
“I played some ugly golf the last two days but my putter and short game kind of kept me in it,” he said. “It comes down to just believing that good things are going to happen and you’re going to make the putt.”
Burns, who started the day seven shots back, thrilled the gallery as he mounted an audacious comeback campaign but eventually came up short, carding a three-under-par 67.
The world number one Scottie Scheffler, one of the week’s main storylines as he made his first attempt at a career Grand Slam after winning last year’s PGA Championship and British Open, finished the tournament at even par.
With eight finishes in the top 10 in 2026, he has had a year that virtually any other golfer would envy but came up short of his usual stellar standard.
“I was in a good spot mentally, which was nice,” said Scheffler, who finished tied for fourth. “It was good to be kind of back in the arena. I felt like at times this year I was, you know, on the outside looking in.”
Source: Khaleej Times