The abuse Wyndham Clark faced during the final round of the US Open has been compared to what the European team dealt with at the Ryder Cup last year.
Clark was not just battling the golf course on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills. It was made clear to the 32-year-old on several occasions during the last round that he was not the player many spectators wanted to see lifting the US Open trophy.
Clark had opened up a six-shot lead with 18 holes to play. There was always a chance that Shinnecock would bite back and bring him closer to the field. But it is also safe to assume that the backlash he faced all day contributed to his wobble.
Ultimately, he ended up winning by one shot to secure his second major championship. But much of the talk since has centred around how the crowds behaved rather than his performance.
The crowd behaviour at the US Open has been compared to a Ryder Cup
There have been plenty of instances where the spectators’ behaviour has become a talking point this season. For some, a tipping point came at last year’s Ryder Cup when the European team, particularly Rory McIlroy, was heckled relentlessly.
The treatment of Clark was particularly odd because he was an American going for the title on home soil.
Interestingly, while Rex Hoggard told the Golf Channel Podcast that the abuse did not reach the same levels as Bethpage, Ryan Lavner did compare the atmosphere to one that would be found at the game’s biggest team events.
“I don’t want to jump too far ahead. And look, this is a larger conversation about crowd behaviour, because on the very first tee box, a security official escorted two people off property. It started right from the get go and it was tough,” Hoggard said.
“You and I walked, we were inside the ropes for the first couple of holes and they were cheering bad shots that were rolling off the green. They were clearly cheering for Scottie Scheffler. And you have to give Wyndham Clark credit.
“Same thing, you’re right, happened to him at LACC. I remember talking with his sports psychologist about this on Saturday night. The idea he was paired with Rickie Fowler in the final round back in 2023. He knew he was not going to be the favourite in that pairing. And the game plan was every time you hear something that’s supporting for Rickie or maybe against you, turn that into a positive for you. Focus on your game, focus on what you’re trying to do. He had to do that, I would argue, probably times 10 today because that was a tough walk for him.
“I’ll go back to last year’s Ryder Cup, and we talked a lot about the behaviour at Bethpage, it was not that bad by any stretch of the imagination. Bethpage was next level. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen this degree of, I don’t know, dislike for someone.
Lavner added: “It was animosity. It was vitriol. It was vicious, it was nasty. It was vocal. It was omnipresent. The security guard, as you mentioned, kicked out two folks on the first hole. He could have kicked out dozens. He could have kicked out hundreds over the course of the day. That’s how prolific, that’s how widespread the dislike for Wyndham Clark was in the final round.
“It was Ryder Cup-esque. It was Presidents Cup-esque, and yet you had an American who was trying to win the national championship of the US Open. It was really incredible to see.”
The reason so many at home wanted to see Wyndham Clark miss out on the US Open
The day seemed to get more uncomfortable, even for those who do not claim to be fans of Wyndham Clark.
The size of his lead would have almost certainly been a factor. Everyone knew the chasing pack would need help from Clark if there was going to be any drama on Sunday. There was virtually no chance of someone else winning the event on six or seven under par.
There is no excuse for some of the comments that were made towards Clark.
But some in the media have made a mistake in dismissing some of the reasons why so many fans at home did not want to see him win on Sunday.
Clark was so fortunate not to injure someone at the PGA Championship last year when he launched his driver on one tee.
He also did a terrible job initially of taking accountability for what happened at Oakmont.
When Clark speaks to the media, there is always a concern that he is going to say something that comes across really poorly, whether that be about the state of the game, or his status in it. His attempts at modesty rarely come across as genuine.
It is absolutely fine that he has enormous self-belief, too. No elite sportsperson reaches the top without having an edge. But much like Bryson DeChambeau, Clark seems to be coming unstuck due to his desperation to convince the world he is a different person to the one we often see.
