Wyndham Clark came to Long Island hoping to put the ugly incident at Oakmont at last year’s U.S. Open in the rearview mirror, but it didn’t seem like fans were willing to let it go as he was actively being rooted against during Sunday’s final round of the tournament.
Clark had come into the day six up for the lead in the U.S. Open, but a tough start to his Sunday round opened the door for those chasing him to catch up and the fans to dig into him.
The chirping became an issue as the day went on and led to fans being kicked out of Shinnecock Hills by police, according to Fried Egg Golf’s Kevin Van Valkenburg.
Fans shouted out “don’t choke Wyndham” as he was setting up his shot, and in one instance, one fan, who appeared to be wearing some sort of U.S. Open credential, was being removed from the grounds after he shouted the choke line during Clark’s tee shot on the fourth hole, Van Valkenburg reported.
Clark was also hearing “in the bunker” screams from fans, including on the seventh hole.
The Long Island fans gave Clark a tepid reception when he came onto the tee for his first shot of the day, while Scottie Scheffler was given a loud applause, SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio reported on air while covering Sunday’s final round at Shinnecock Hills.
On the NBC broadcast, the cheers were audible when his shot on the second hole ran back on him and Normal Sports’ Kyle Porter reported that there were loud cheers when he ran over the green on the second hole.
The reception toward Clark stems from last year’s U.S. Open incident in which he destroyed the locker at the historic golf course, along with his public response and apology for what happened, as well as his reputation as one of golf’s villains.
Clark had talked about the crowds after they dwindled as Saturday’s session went on, calling it “unfortunate” and saying the crowds “did kind of get a little flat” during big moments on holes 14,15 and 16.
“I love the energy. I love making a big putt and feeling that or hitting a good shot and getting the claps. So it was unfortunate it got a little flat,” he said after Saturday’s round. “Also, because of that, sometimes it made it tough to stay really focused because it seemed like everyone was leaving, and it was like the tournament was over, and I had to keep myself really focused and in the present. … Hopefully there’s people there tomorrow and it’s a great atmosphere.”
After his reception on Sunday, he may be rethinking that wish for more people.
— Andrew Crane contributed reporting