Wyndham Clark won his second US Open title on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills.
Clark battled through adversity, with the fans actively cheering against him during the final round of the US Open.
The 32-year-old has made plenty of mistakes throughout his life, last year’s locker room incident at Oakmont included, and he’s now trying to atone for them.
However, the vast majority of golf fans at Shinnecock Hills clearly haven’t forgiven Wyndham Clark just yet.
The abuse that Clark received during the US Open was simply not acceptable.
The fans’ treatment of Clark during the US Open reached another level entirely on Sunday, when most of the crowd were actively cheering every single bad shot he hit.
What some fans were shouting at Wyndham Clark after he won the US Open
It must have been so hard for Clark to focus throughout the final round when every good shot he hit was not only not cheered, but actively jeered by many of the fans.
He knows he’s the pantomime villain, but he definitely would not have expected the fans to treat him like they did at Shinnecock.
The fact that the 32-year-old was still able to win is a real testament to his strong character and mentality.
It was a surreal experience watching Clark play on Sunday. Even after he won the US Open, many people decided to leave the property, rather than watch the trophy presentation.
However, there were some interesting shouts directed at Clark from those who did stay to see him lift the trophy.
Golf writer Kevin Van Valkenburg took to his X account on Sunday night to share some of the things he heard the fans shouting in Clark’s direction.
And surprisingly, they were very complimentary…
“People who stuck around showing Wyndham some love,“ Van Valkenburg said.
“Some of the first big cheers of the day. ‘We love you, Wyndham!’, ‘We all make mistakes!’, ‘Hell of a round, man’.”
Wyndham Clark still has a long road to redemption ahead of him
The road back to popularity for Clark will obviously be one laden with obstacles.
He has to accept that it is the fans who decide when they want to move on from his indiscretions, not him.
However, there were some fans cheering for Wyndham Clark on Sunday after he won the US Open at Shinnecock Hills.
So perhaps he has made a very small breakthrough.
Only time will tell as to whether he is able to really turn the tide and get the fans onside.
