Golf
Wyndham Clark entered the final round of the U.S. Open with a six-shot lead as he chased his second major title. Mike Mulholland / Getty Images
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Wyndham Clark faced near-constant heckling from the crowd at Shinnecock Hills throughout a wild Sunday.
He held on to win the U.S. Open, against the wishes of many in attendance.
Some fans lining the fairways were shouting, “Get in the bunker!” with every shot as Clark worked his way through the first nine holes, which saw his lead shrink from six shots to one.
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The trouble began on the second hole, when Clark’s tee shot on the par-3 drifted wide left. Cheers rang out from the crowd, which had been firmly in favor of Clark’s playing partner, Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the world, celebrating his 30th birthday on Sunday, and needs a U.S. Open win to complete the career Grand Slam. He was always going to be a fan favorite, but the vitriol for Clark is them rooting against him, not just for Scheffler.
One fan was ejected from the U.S. Open for shouting, “Don’t choke, Wyndham!” as he set up for his shot on No. 4. Clark scrambled to save par on the hole, and a disappointed sigh, not the roar you would normally expect for the Sunday leader at a major, was heard from two holes away. Others were removed early on for vulgar or inappropriate comments, according to a PGA Tour source with knowledge of the events, with five spectators in total ejected from the tournament with six holes to go.
Clark, 32, won the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club and entered the top tier of men’s professional golf. But a handful of incidents, most notably destroying a locker at Oakmont Country Club during last year’s U.S. Open, have stuck with fans.
“Let’s not break any lockers today, Wyndham,” was heard in the fairway, as well as, “Nobody likes you.”
Clark was asked Friday about the reaction fans have given him over the last year.
“I’ve gotten a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so. The thing that’s unfortunate is that’s not who I am, what happened last year,” Clark said. “I’m hoping I can win back the fans that I had or some new fans because it was a terrible incident. You know, I really feel like I can show people that I’m fun and outgoing, I’m fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment. Hopefully, I can win those people back.”
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