The Sports Guru
An American won the US Open in America, and a large part of the gallery spent the afternoon willing him to fail. This piece looks at how Wyndham Clark held off Sam Burns and a hostile Shinnecock Hills crowd to claim a second national title, why the reception turned so sour, and what the watching players and pundits made of an atmosphere several of them struggled to defend.
Winning the US Open is supposed to be the part where the home crowd carries you up the 18th. Wyndham Clark did not get that. He completed a wire-to-wire victory at Shinnecock Hills, holding off Sam Burns by a single shot to become US Open champion for the second time, and he did it while a significant chunk of his own countrymen openly wanted him to lose. Shouts of "get in the bunker" followed his shots. Good putts were met with muted cheers, missed ones with something closer to delight. For an American on American soil, it was an unusual way to win a major.
Clark, to his credit, did not pretend it had not happened. "New York didn't really like me," he said afterwards. "I love you guys, but, you know, I get it. Some of it is self-deserved. I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret. I've been sorry multiple times and I'm still sorry, so hopefully I can win you guys over eventually." It was a more measured response than the treatment perhaps deserved, and a long way from the version of Clark who, a year ago, was banned by Oakmont Country Club after damaging a locker in frustration at last year's US Open.
Why the Crowd Turned
Some of the hostility was simply a matter of who he was standing next to. Clark's playing partner in the final pairing was the hugely popular world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, who arrived at Shinnecock chasing the career Grand Slam and carrying most of the gallery with him. "I get it, they root for Scottie," Clark admitted. "Grand Slams only happen a few times. He's going to get it. He's the best player in the world, but today it's my day."
It was not only about Scheffler, though. The crowd also seemed desperate to see Burns claim a maiden major, and there was the residue of Clark's own past stirred in. Sky Sports' Nick Dougherty traced the reception to the modern habit of never letting anything go. "To a degree it's the world we live in, where social media runs wild," Dougherty said. "Things that used to be yesterday's chip paper, things resurface in the future." He pointed to comments Clark made at the Masters par-three competition and his conduct at last year's US Open. "You sort of never escape your past any more."
'Strange, Surreal and a Bit Much'
Those watching at close quarters found it hard to stomach. Former European Solheim Cup player Mel Reid, on the course for Sky Sports Golf, called the atmosphere "strange and surreal". "That cannot have been easy for him," Reid said. "You expect it at a Ryder Cup, but when it's your own person, it was a very strange experience. I could hear everything he was doing because people were cheering the wrong shots."
Even Scheffler, the man the crowd was actually backing, thought it had gone too far. "The crowd was tough today," he said. "You like seeing the fans cheer for you. I think sometimes it can get a little too much when balls are kind of going off greens and you start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me." He could not control it, he added, but he made a point of crediting his rival. "It shows a lot about Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course, but the crowd today as well. He is a well-deserving champion."
Sky Sports' Jamie Weir was blunter still, calling the behaviour "just disgusting" and noting it was the second time in nine months a New York gallery had crossed the line, the other being the Ryder Cup on Long Island. "Shouts of 'get in the bunker', cheers when he missed putts, 'don't choke, Wyndham' people were shouting at him. Police were evicting fans from the course at times. I've never seen an American player on American soil have to deal with what he had to deal with." He went as far as to question whether tournaments can be held in New York going forward.
Verdict: A Title Earned the Hard Way
However you read the rights and wrongs of the gallery, the golf was not in doubt. Clark led from the front for four days and held his nerve over the closing stretch with a one-shot cushion and a crowd cheering his mistakes, which is a harder thing to do than the final margin suggests. A second US Open is a serious career, regardless of who he beat or who was shouting. That he won it in conditions most champions are spared only makes the achievement read better, not worse.
The circus moves on quickly. The PGA Tour heads to the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands and the DP World Tour to the Open d'Italia in Torino, both from Thursday, before the year's final men's major, The Open at Royal Birkdale, from July 16 to 19. Clark will arrive at Birkdale as a two-time US Open champion. Whether New York warms to him is another matter, but for one Sunday, as he said himself, it was his day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wyndham Clark won the US Open, his second title in the championship, completing a wire-to-wire victory by one shot over Sam Burns at Shinnecock Hills. The win came despite a hostile home crowd that heckled him throughout the final round.
Several factors combined. His final-round playing partner was the hugely popular world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was chasing the career Grand Slam, and many fans also wanted Sam Burns to win a maiden major. Clark's past also played a part, including conduct at last year's US Open and comments at the Masters par-three competition. Clark himself accepted that "some of it is self-deserved".
Clark was conciliatory, saying "New York didn't really like me" and that he understood why, given mistakes he had made and the fact the crowd was rooting for Scheffler's Grand Slam bid. He said he was still sorry for past behaviour and hoped to win the fans over in time, before adding, "but today it's my day".
Scottie Scheffler, who the crowd backed, said cheering bad shots was "a bit much" and praised Clark as a well-deserving champion. Sky Sports' Mel Reid called the atmosphere "strange and surreal", while Jamie Weir described the behaviour as "disgusting", noted police were evicting fans, and questioned whether tournaments can be held in New York going forward.
The PGA Tour moves to the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands and the DP World Tour to the Open d'Italia in Torino, both from Thursday. The year's final men's major, The Open, follows at Royal Birkdale from July 16 to 19.
Sources: The result, the one-shot winning margin over Sam Burns, the description of the crowd's behaviour, Wyndham Clark's post-round comments, the background to his Oakmont ban, and the reaction from Scottie Scheffler, Mel Reid, Nick Dougherty and Jamie Weir, along with the upcoming schedule, as reported in Sky Sports Golf's coverage of the US Open final round at Shinnecock Hills.
