A champion few were cheering

Wyndham Clark won the U.S. Open for the second time in four years, but his final round at Shinnecock Hills was anything but a coronation.

According to USA Today’s report on the controversy, Clark’s one-shot victory was played out against a rare level of hostility for an American golfer at his national championship.

The galleries on Long Island were far more enthusiastic when Clark made mistakes than when he recovered from them. Scottie Scheffler, playing alongside him while chasing the career Grand Slam, was the clear crowd favourite. Clark, by contrast, had to manage not only a shrinking lead but also a crowd that seemed eager to see it disappear.

As The Guardian’s Bryan Armen Graham described, spectators cheered when Clark found trouble and fell quiet when he escaped it.

Read also: Schumacher raises new Red Bull exit concern

Hecklers removed during final round

The tension was visible early on Sunday.

According to The Sporting News’ Daniel Chavkin, some fans were removed after heckling Clark during the final round, including one who shouted “Don’t choke Wyndham!” before his tee shot at the fourth hole.

The reaction continued as Clark’s advantage came under pressure. Every loose shot seemed to lift the noise around the course, while his better moments were often met with a far more muted response.

It made for an unusual scene: a two-time U.S. Open champion, on American soil, playing the closing holes as if he were the away team.

Read also: Trump set for major role in World Cup trophy ceremony

Past incidents follow Clark

The reception did not come from nowhere.

Clark’s reputation had already been damaged by a series of on-course outbursts. The most serious came at Oakmont during the 2025 U.S. Open, when he damaged the club’s locker room after missing the cut.

According to Golf Digest’s Joel Beall, Oakmont told members that Clark would not be allowed back on the property unless several conditions were met, including repayment for damages, a charitable contribution and the completion of counselling or anger management sessions.

Clark had also drawn criticism at the 2025 PGA Championship after throwing a driver that struck a sponsor sign. More recently, at the RBC Canadian Open, he leaned into the role of provocateur by wearing a Team USA hockey jersey in front of a Canadian crowd.

Read also: Yan Diomande chooses between Liverpool and PSG after summer transfer battle

Those incidents helped shape the mood at Shinnecock. The reaction may have been excessive at times, but Clark knew why it existed.

Clark accepts part of the blame

To his credit, Clark did not try to present himself as a victim after the win.

Quoted by Golf Monthly’s Jakob Barnes, Clark said: “New York didn’t really like me. But I love you guys. And I get it. Some of it is deserved.”

That response captured the strange balance of the day. Clark had won one of golf’s toughest tests, but he did so while confronting the public consequences of his own behaviour.

Read also: UEFA rejects automatic hydration breaks for EURO 2028

He also showed a level of composure that had not always been associated with him. A six-shot lead narrowed, the crowd turned against him, and Sam Burns pushed him to the final hole. Clark still held firm.

A victory with a complicated aftertaste

The win will stand as one of the most important of Clark’s career. It made him a two-time U.S. Open champion and confirmed that his 2023 triumph at Los Angeles Country Club was no one-off.

But it also showed how much work remains if Clark wants to change the way he is viewed.

Shinnecock did not embrace him. It tested him. The crowd jeered, cheered his errors and made clear that forgiveness in golf can take longer than form to recover.

Read also: Tony Hawk’s hardest landing

Clark left with the trophy, and that matters most in the record books. Whether he also left with a stronger path back to public approval will depend on what comes next.