Wyndham Clark secured his second US Open championship in four years at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday, overcoming a hostile crowd and a shrinking lead to win by one shot. The 32-year-old from Colorado shot a three-over-par 73 in the final round to finish at four-under 276, one stroke ahead of Sam Burns.
Hostile Atmosphere and Fan Conduct
Clark faced a largely unsupportive gallery throughout the final round, with cheers reserved mostly for his playing partner, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. The United States Golf Association confirmed that several spectators were removed from the course for directing abusive comments at Clark. 'They definitely didn't want me to win,' Clark said. 'It's pretty rare in a US Open or a major to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots.'
Clark acknowledged that some of the hostility was self-inflicted, stemming from his locker-room incident at Oakmont last year. 'Some of it's self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself,' he said. 'But I also get it, too. Scottie was going for the career grand slam, and it hasn't happened very often.'
Dramatic Final Round and Victory
Clark entered the final round with a six-shot lead, but saw it shrink to one on several occasions. He never surrendered the lead, however, and held on with a gritty 73. 'It was tough, but I'm proud of myself that I battled through,' he said. 'Things really could have gotten away from me. I stood tough.'
The victory completed an extraordinary turnaround from what Clark described as one of the darkest stretches of his professional career. After missing the cut at Oakmont last year and kicking in two lockers in frustration, Clark dealt with both a regression in form and reputational fallout. 'After what happened at Oakmont was obviously the lowest point,' he said. 'People probably didn't see what happened after, but it was a really tough two, three days for me. I was in a dark place, didn't really go outside much. It was a really negative, dark place.'
Mental Resilience and Support
Clark credited changes to his game and outlook for his resurgence. 'I did a lot of work in the offseason on my golf swing, on the things I needed to do,' he said. 'As this year went on, I started hitting it better and started seeing the results. Then I started gaining my confidence.' He also learned to handle adversity differently, using a simple mental trick: 'Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive.'
Clark found humour in the situation, joking with caddie Dave Markle about the sparse cheers. 'If we heard someone cheer for me, I'd go: “Oh, there's one person that likes me.” So we would kind of make jokes and make it maybe a little lighthearted.'
Years of experience in hostile environments, including Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup appearances, helped prepare him. 'It sucks being the underdog or getting rooted against,' he said. 'But I can pull through, and there's nothing like winning kind of an away game, if you will.'
Father's Day Surprise
Among the surprises waiting on the 18th green was Clark's father, Randall, who had never been present for one of his victories. He took an overnight flight from Denver to be there for the finish. 'He's never been there to see me win,' Clark said. 'Not only that, to finally have him there for a win is amazing, but especially on Father's Day.'
A year ago, Clark wondered if he would ever fully escape the shadow of Oakmont. On Sunday, he was asked whether a second US Open title might finally turn the page. 'I sure hope it closes the door on it,' he said.
