Wyndham Clark won his second US Open championship in four years on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills, overcoming a shrinking lead and a hostile crowd that actively rooted for his playing partner, Scottie Scheffler.
The United States Golf Association confirmed that several spectators were removed from the course for directing abusive comments at the 32-year-old Colorado native, as reported by The Guardian.
Clark entered the final round with a six-shot advantage but finished with a three-over-par 73, narrowly holding off his competitors after his lead shrank to a single stroke on multiple occasions.
"They definitely didn't want me to win," said Clark, who sat beside the trophy after the tournament concluded.
"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."
The golfer noted that the negative reception partly stemmed from his own past behavior, referencing a heavily criticized locker-room incident at Oakmont last year, alongside the fact that Scheffler was chasing a historic career grand slam.
"Some of it's self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself," said Clark.
"But I also get it, too. Scottie was going for the career grand slam, and it hasn't happened very often."
Reflecting on the final round, Clark expressed immense pride in how he handled the pressure when his comfortable lead began to evaporate under intense competitive pressure.
"It was tough, but I'm proud of myself that I battled through," said Clark. "Things really could have gotten away from me.
I stood tough."
The victory marks a significant emotional recovery for Clark, who previously suffered an intense career regression and deep reputational damage following his missed cut at Oakmont.
"After what happened at Oakmont was obviously the lowest point," said Clark.
"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."
During that difficult period a year ago, the golfer feared that his professional standing and world ranking were permanently slipping away from him.
"I felt a lot of my career, world ranking, reputation, everything just dwindling," said Clark. "That's a terrible feeling."
To rebuild his form ahead of the tournament at Shinnecock, Clark implemented major adjustments to his physical swing and overhauled his mental approach during the offseason.
"I did a lot of work in the offseason on my golf swing, on the things I needed to do," said Clark.
"As this year went on, I started hitting it better and started seeing the results. Then I started gaining my confidence."
When dealing with the aggressive New York gallery on Sunday, Clark utilized specific psychological techniques to maintain focus and prevent the hostile environment from disrupting his game.
"Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive," said Clark.
The champion also relied heavily on his caddie, Dave Markle, using lighthearted humor to diffuse the tension during the tensest moments of the final round.
"I was kind of making jokes about it with Dave," said Clark. "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."
Clark stated that his prior experiences playing in highly partisan international environments, such as the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup, provided the necessary preparation for the hostile crowd.
"It sucks being the underdog or getting rooted against," said Clark.
"But I can pull through, and there's nothing like winning kind of an away game, if you will."
Personal support also arrived at the final hole, where Clark's father caught an overnight flight from Denver to witness his son win a tournament in person for the very first time.
"He's never been there to see me win," said Clark.
"Not only that, to finally have him there for a win is amazing, but especially on Father's Day."
With a second major championship now secured, the golfer looks toward the future hoping this milestone permanently distances his career from past controversies.
"I sure hope it closes the door on it," said Clark.
