Wyndham Clark has emerged as an unpopular winner of the US Open after battling the crowd at Shinnecock Hills.
Clark entered Sunday at the major championship with a six-shot lead, but stuttered to a three-over 73, his worst round of the week.
It was, however, enough to claim a one-shot victory over Sam Burns, who instead received plenty of support from the fans.
The same can be said of Scottie Scheffler, who played with Clark in the final round of the US Open at Shinnecock Hills.
But the champion believes the fan abuse played a key role in his win at Shinnecock Hills, along with his actions at the recent RBC Canadian Open.
Wyndham Clark helped by crowd abuse at US Open
Clark wore a Team USA Olympic ice hockey jersey at TPC Toronto earlier this month, and has now explained how he’s been able to learn from previous experiences about not being the fan favorite.
“It honestly… it fuelled me,” Clark told Golf Channel of the fans in New York.
“I played those sports, and one of my favorite things was going into away gym in basketball, and shutting up the crowd right?
“And I did it last week in Canada.
“It was honestly great prep.
“I wore that jersey, I stuffed it in there and made a putt to quiet them, and I did it on Sunday as well.
“Granted, the tournament didn’t go how I wanted, but in those moments it was amazing to do that.
“And so I came here, and I had the same feelings.
“And you know it’s funny, you can find little things from previous weeks that help you build.
“And last week was kind of the precursor to this week of being kind of not the fan favorite, and getting a bunch of backlash.”
Such was the level of the abuse directed towards him, many golf fans felt sorry for Clark, who deserves immense credit for persevering to claim the trophy.
Wyndham Clark emulates Tiger Woods after US Open win
Clark attracted plenty of negative attention with his move at TPC Toronto, which was a nod to the USA’s dramatic win over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Taking place at The Rink, the hockey-themed 14th hole at the Canadian Open, he certainly riled fans with his Jack Hughes No. 86 jersey.
The American went on to finish in a tie for 11th, one of a handful of impressive recent finishes for the now two-time major winner.
It follows his success at Los Angeles Golf Club in 2023, with his victories having just helped him emulate legendary figure Tiger Woods.
As per Justin Ray, Clark is now one of three players to win a US Open in both California and New York, along with Woods and Billy Casper.
