Despite leading the tournament for four rounds, the golfer was heckled by the crowd
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Wyndham-Clark-062226-885bab2a1df24934840035270c07b5cc.jpg "Wyndham Clark celebrates with the winner's trophy during the final round of 126th U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 21, 2026 in Southampton, New York.")
Credit: Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Wyndham Clark is speaking out after his U.S. Open win
- The golfer was heckled by members of the crowd as he tried to hang on to his lead
- “Man, they definitely didn’t want me to win,” Clark told reporters
As Wyndham Clark hoisted the U.S. Open trophy for the second time in four years, he heard it from the fans — and it wasn’t pretty.
"New York didn't really like me," Clark, 32, said after besting the field over four days in a one-stroke, wire-to-wire finish.
Throughout his round on Sunday, June 21, fans heckled the golfer as he saw his six-stroke lead nearly evaporate amid the tough course and windy conditions at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island.
Fans yelled at him to “don’t choke” and cheered when his shots hit the rough — which they did throughout Sunday’s contest in which he finished with a 3-over-par.
It was only when Sam Burns couldn’t capitalize on two birdies on the 17th and 18th holes that Clark was able to take a deep breath and clinch the victory.
Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty
"Man, they definitely didn't want me to win," Clark told reporters afterwards. "It's pretty rare in an Open Championship or a major to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots. I mean, that was tough, but sometimes being the underdog is nice.”
It didn’t help that fan favorite and No. 1 golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, was Clark’s playing partner in the last round. Scheffler, who turned 30 on Sunday, was looking to clinch golf's Grand Slam — and had been picking up steam after a slow start on Thursday.
But even Scheffler was seemingly surprised about the sentiment coming from the gallery.
"The crowd was tough today," Scheffler told reporters. "New Yorkers, they are tough people. There was a good turnout from the fans. You like seeing the fans cheer for you. I think sometimes it can get a little too much when balls are kind of going off greens and you start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me. But at the end of the day, I can't control fan behavior."
For Clark — who works with a sports psychologist and was required to undergo anger management therapy after trashing a locker room at last year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont — he understands where some of the animosity is coming from.
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“But I get it. Some of it's self deserved,” he said. “I did some unfortunate things last year that I really regret, and I've said sorry multiple times, and I'm still sorry. So, hopefully, I can win you guys over eventually.”