Wyndham Clark shared his thoughts on being perceived as a villain by many golf fans after securing victory at the 2026 U.S. Open on Sunday, June 21.
“Man, they definitely didn’t want me to win,” Clark, 32, remarked to the press. “It’s pretty unusual in an Open Championship or a major to have fans boo your shots or cheer for poor ones. That was challenging, but being the underdog can sometimes be rewarding.”
Throughout the weekend, the Colorado native faced consistent heckling, leading to one fan being ejected from Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, for verbally attacking Clark.
Clark’s final round on Sunday was played alongside popular golfer Scottie Scheffler, who was aiming to achieve the career Grand Slam.
“I get it. They were rooting for Scottie,” Clark commented. “Grand Slams are rare. He’s going to achieve it. He’s the top player in the world. But today was my day.”
Clark mentioned that he turned the negative energy from the fans into motivation, similar to his approach when he won his first U.S. Open title in 2023.
“Whenever someone said something negative to me, I flipped it into something positive,” Clark explained.
He continued, “It was tough, but I’m proud of myself for persevering. Things could have gone sideways, but I held firm. I would have liked to win by more, but as long as you win, that’s what counts.”
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Starting Sunday’s final round with a six-stroke advantage, Clark had to fight to maintain a win by a single stroke as his lead diminished in a dramatic conclusion at Shinnecock.
Much of the criticism Clark faced stems from an incident at the previous year’s U.S. Open, where he damaged two lockers at Oakmont Country Club after failing to make the cut. Clark was prohibited from returning until he paid for the repairs and attended anger management courses.
“What happened at Oakmont was undoubtedly my lowest point,” Clark recalled on Sunday. “People probably didn’t see what happened afterward. It was a really tough two, three days for me. I was in a dark place. I didn’t really go outside much. It was a really negative, dark place.”
He concluded, “At that moment, I felt my career — world ranking, reputation, everything — was just fading away. That’s a terrible feeling.”
