Wyndham Clark wins second U.S. Open despite hostile New York crowd

Wyndham Clark had to play through a roar of hostility before he could put his hands on a second U.S. Open trophy. At Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, the 2023 champion absorbed taunts, boos and chants of “Don’t choke Wyndham!” as fans cheered his mistakes and turned the final round into a pressure test as much as a golf tournament.

Clark answered it with a final-round 73 and a 72-hole total of 4-under 276, edging Sam Burns by one shot in the 126th U.S. Open. He began the day with a six-shot lead, but the crowd’s mood hardened from the opening holes and stayed with him all the way to the 72nd, where a two-putt par from 52 feet sealed the victory. His 276 matched the lowest winning score in a U.S. Open at Shinnecock, equaling Retief Goosen’s mark from 2004.

Police escorted and ejected multiple spectators who went too far in their heckling, underscoring how quickly the atmosphere at a major can tilt from partisan to corrosive. Clark later described the scene as feeling like an away game, and he compared it to the kind of noise and edge players face in Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup matches, where every shot can feel like it carries the weight of the crowd’s approval or contempt.

Afterward, Clark faced the reaction head-on. Speaking on NBC, he said, “New York didn't really like me. I love you guys,” and he added that some of the crowd’s anger was understandable because of his own past missteps. “Man, they definitely didn't want me to win,” he said, while acknowledging that he regretted actions from last year and was still sorry.

The victory also added another chapter to a career that has already swung between triumph and turmoil. Clark won his first U.S. Open in 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club by one stroke over Rory McIlroy, then dealt with fallout after the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he damaged a locker and was later banned from Oakmont Country Club until he made amends, including paying for the damage and completing anger management. At Shinnecock, he finished the week as a major champion again, this time after outlasting the crowd as much as his closest rival.