"It's pretty rare" - U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark opens up on crowd abuse

Wyndham Clark says it was tough' to have the crowd pulling against him at the U.S. Open but admits it was self-inflicted.

The 32-year-old went wire-to-wire in challenging conditions at Shinnecock Hills. 

It represents his second major championship title, having also won the gold medal at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023 after holding off a challenge from Rory McIlroy. 

Clark also had to contend with a hostile crowd at the third men’s major of the year in New York, with police ejecting some fans for heckling the American.

"Man, they definitely didn't want me to win," Clark said.  

"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.

"Yeah, I mean, that was tough, but sometimes being the underdog is nice. I was in 2023, and I kind of did the same thing. 

"Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive. 

"You know, some of it's self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself, but I also get it, too. 

"Scottie [Scheffler] was going for the career grand slam, and it hasn't happened very often.

"It was tough, but I'm proud of myself that I battled through. I mean, things really could have gotten away from me. I stood tough. 

"I would have liked to have won by more, but as long as you win, it doesn't matter."

Clark was referring to refers to his outburst of anger at Oakmont 12 months ago. 

Clark missed the cut by one stroke at the 2025 U.S. Open and took out his frustrations on a century-old locker inside the clubhouse. 

It saw Clark banned from the property, with reinstatement contingent on the completion of anger management or counselling sessions, paying for the damage and making a donation to charity of the club's choosing. 

Golfweek reported earlier in the week Clark has done everything that has been asked of him. 

Clark has repeatedly apologised for the "terrible incident" and vowed to win back fans or earn new ones. 

"What happened at Oakmont was obviously the lowest point," he said. 

"People probably didn't see what happened after, but you know, 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.

"At that moment I just felt a lot of my career, world ranking, reputation, everything just dwindling. That's a terrible feeling.

"In that moment I definitely didn't think I'd be here this year doing this, but with that being said, I did a lot of work in the offseason on my golf swing, on the things I needed to do. 

"I would say as this year, I started hitting it better and started seeing the results, then yeah, I started gaining my confidence.

"Coming into this, I really did have the feeling I could win, because I played amazing at Memorial. I played, I don't know, okay golf in Canada and still had a chance to win. 

"I said: 'If I bring my A-game, I can definitely win this thing.'"

Clark added that he hopes his victory "closes the door" on that chapter in his career.