Matt Fitzpatrick has said that he gets on well with Wyndham Clark, as he revealed what he asked him about the abuse he was getting during the third round of the US Open this past week.
The 2026 US Open is likely to be remembered for a long time for the journey of one particular player, with Clark putting himself firmly in the spotlight from the early stages of his opening round.
Of course, Clark had a point to prove given what happened at Oakmont 12 months ago. And he went on to dominate the third major of the year, leading after each round at Shinnecock Hills.
Unfortunately for Clark, he faced relentless heckling from the spectators, particularly on Sunday as he looked to close out the tournament.
Matt Fitzpatrick reacts to the heckling Wyndham Clark got at the US Open
There were several reasons for the abuse from those behind the ropes. The 32-year-old is far from a fan favourite and had a commanding lead heading into Sunday. No one else stood a chance of winning without a helping hand from Clark.
He was also playing alongside Scottie Scheffler, with the world number one seeking to make history and complete the Career Grand Slam.
Matt Fitzpatrick had played alongside Clark during the third round. And speaking on Subpar, the Englishman revealed what the atmosphere was like on Saturday in New York.
“Yeah I heard a lot. I actually questioned him on Saturday when we played. It was like the 13th hole, and I said to him, ‘does this happen every week?’ And he’s like, ‘yeah, every single week, every single week’,” he said.
“Listen, I’ll be the first to say, I’m not condoning what he did at Oakmont. It was not really the smartest thing to do. But I’ve spent a little bit of time with Wyndham, I get on very well with Wyndham, I really like him. I think he’s a very good guy. I understand the jokes about the locker, but to me, the thing that I don’t like is when he hits a tee shot and you’re shouting get in the bunker or get in the water or whatever. That, to me, firstly, it’s just dumb, it’s just stupid heckling, but I think it’s a little bit unfair to be that way, particularly having an American fanbase rooting against an American player is a little bit odd in itself.”
Fitzpatrick says he has not seen an atmosphere like the one at Shinnecock Hills
Fitzpatrick knows better than most about contending for tournaments while having the spectators cheering against him.
He was part of the European side that won the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black last September. Fitzpatrick faced off against Bryson DeChambeau in the Sunday singles. And the LIV Golf star was certainly not afraid to fire up the crowd as he made his comeback.
Meanwhile, he has been the villain at both The Players Championship and the RBC Heritage.
Nevertheless, Fitzpatrick admitted that his experience at the US Open was a unique one.
“No, I wouldn’t say so [that he’s ever seen it that bad before]. I wouldn’t have said I’ve played with anyone that’s had that before,” he said.
“To clarify, he did what he did, and he’s going to get some heat and stuff like that. Part of me in my mind thought give it two or three months and everyone’s forgotten about it, and move on, and you never hear about it again, but obviously, he said he’s getting it every week. I did think last week was a little bit unfair.
“The guy’s leading the tournament, he’s playing great golf, making the putts, and doing what he needed to. And every time on that Saturday, he was faultless. To keep getting that was a little bit unfair really. He handled it well, and I feel like that’s the best way you can handle it, go out there and prove everyone wrong.”
Clark will hope that the manner of his victory helped win some people over. Some will have inevitably been uncomfortable with how the crowds behaved on Sunday in particular.
It will also help his cause when his fellow professionals speak out as Fitzpatrick has done.
