06/23/26 09:27:00
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06/23 09:26 CDT Wyndham Clark showed his toughness as the US Open champion Long
Island didn't want
Wyndham Clark showed his toughness as the US Open champion Long Island didn't
want
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) --- For thousands in the gallery on the final day of the
U.S. Open, he was a most unpopular champion.
One media account noted that he "defeated par, pressure and a hostile gallery
Sunday" and that he "stalked poker-faced through the heat and caustic comments
of the gallery." The local columnist wrote "except for a few strays from his
hometown," nobody rooted for him.
That was Jack Nicklaus in 1962 at Oakmont.
Nicklaus certainly can relate to the toughness Wyndham Clark showed Sunday at
Shinnecock Hills to become a U.S. Open champion for the second time. If hearing
the crowd cheer his bad shots wasn't enough of a challenge, Clark's six-shot
lead was nearly gone in five holes. But he showed his moxie by not letting Sam
Burns or anyone else catch him.
"He had some stones down the stretch," said Scottie Scheffler, high praise from
golf's best player.
But could Nicklaus relate to the "hostile gallery" and "caustic comments" Clark
endured? Hostile and caustic had a different meaning in 1962.
Society has changed mightily over the past 64 years, and it's getting worse by
the year. The Long Island fans --- no one would refer to them as "patrons" ---
had no filter and no restraint. But this isn't a Long Island problem. It's
largely an American problem everywhere but Augusta National.
Clark is not the first person to be a major champion hardly anyone wanted.
Nicklaus was never going to be celebrated in 1962, not in an 18-hole playoff
against Arnold Palmer in the King's backyard at Oakmont, especially with Palmer
having won the Masters that year.
It felt as though all of New York was ready to crown Phil Mickelson at
Shinnecock Hills in 2004 until he three-putted from 5 feet for double bogey on
the 17th hole. The air came out of the place in a New York minute. Retief
Goosen was appreciated --- but not adored --- as the U.S. Open champion.
This was different. This was ugly. It was relentless.
"Hit it in the fescue!" was nothing like Nicklaus ever heard. Nor did Oakmont
in 1962 have a fan like the idiot who shouted, "Don't choke, Wyndham!" when it
was Clark's turn to tee off on the fourth hole. The fan was quickly approached
and evicted.
The rousing and sudden cheer on the par-3 seventh sounded as though Clark had
just hit it close. Instead, it was because his ball went into the bunker.
It might have been different had Clark played in the final group with Tom Kim
instead of Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world who had a chance to give
fans something to remember forever by winning the U.S. Open on his 30th
birthday to complete the career Grand Slam.
But the crowd shifted quickly from being pro-Scottie to anti-Wyndham.
Clark no doubt is difficult to embrace, particularly after his behavior last
year when he flung a driver that made a marshal flinch at the PGA Championship,
and a month later smashed a locker at Oakmont when he missed the cut at the
U.S. Open.
"New York didn't really like me. I love you guys," Clark said during the trophy
presentation. "But I get it. Some of it's self-deserved. I did some unfortunate
things last year that I really regret, and I've been sorry multiple times and
I'm still sorry. So hopefully, I can win you guys over eventually."
His signature moment came on the par-5 16th when he atoned for a bad tee shot
into gnarly grass by making a 30-foot birdie putt. The applause was muted, and
don't get the idea it sounded that way because too many fans had phones in
their hands. They didn't like him.
Clark played right through it, with some level of experience. He played with
popular Rickie Fowler in the final round of his U.S. Open victory at Los
Angeles Country Club in 2023, when he held off popular Rory McIlroy by one
shot. But no one cheered against him that day.
The Long Island gallery was at another level, and ultimately Clark took his
place among other Shinnecock Hills champions notes for their toughness ---
Brooks Koepka, Goosen, Corey Pavin and Raymond Floyd.
Scheffler has seen this act before. He played McIlroy in singles at Bethpage
Black in the Ryder Cup last September, when the taunts became personal and left
a stain on the matches.
He also got a relatively muted response in McIlroy's home country when
Scheffler won the British Open at Royal Portrush last summer. There was no
heckling, certainly not any bad behavior. But it was quiet for a world-class
performance by the No. 1 player.
"The crowd was tough today. I mean, New Yorkers, they are tough people,"
Scheffler said Sunday. "You like seeing the fans cheer for you. I think
sometimes it can get a little too much when balls are going off greens and you
start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me.
"Being in the arena is not for everybody, and I think it shows a lot about
Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course but I think the crowd today
as well and is a well-deserving champion."
Clark took the high road in the closing ceremony, his news conference and other
interviews in the hours after his victory. He posted on social media Monday
night, "This game can be incredibly humbling. It doesn't owe you anything, and
sometimes the only thing you can do is keep showing up and trust that the work
will eventually pay off."
Keep showing up and maybe the fans might cheer for him.
___
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