U.S. Open: Multiple fans kicked out of final round for heckling Wyndham Clark, others actively cheer against him
· Yahoo Sports
Fans who made their way to Shinnecock Hills to watch the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday afternoon were not on Wyndham Clark's side.
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In fact, several of them didn't even get to stick around to watch the end of the major championship.
Multiple fans were ejected early on Sunday afternoon for heckling Clark early on as he tired to hold onto the massive six-shot lead that he carried into the final round. One fan, via Fried Egg Golf's Kevin Van Valkenburg, was thrown out for shouting "Don't choke Wyndham!" before his tee shot at the fourth.
NBC confirmed on the broadcast that others were ejected for similar comments, too, including one who yelled, "Get in the bunker!" to Clark.
It wasn't just heckling, either. Fans appeared to be actively cheering against Clark throughout the round. When Clark sent a bunker shot way off to the right on the fourth, fans went sprinting over to swarm his ball over the cart path while cheering loudly. Clark looked livid in the bunker realizing where he sent the ball.
While he ended up saving his par in remarkable fashion, Clark faced a similar reaction at the next hole. His ball rolled right back down the hill, after he tried to chip it up onto the green, settling back at his feet, and fans were clearly cheering at the blunder.
Though he entered the day with a six-shot advantage, Clark's lead quickly disappeared. He ended up making the turn at 3-over on his round with just a one-shot lead.
Clark won the U.S. Open back in 2023, and fans seemed to get behind that win even though it was Rory McIlroy who finished in second that year in Los Angeles. But there have been several incidents since then that have tarnished Clark’s reputation in the golf world — most notably at last year's U.S. Open. Clark was so frustrated after missing the cut at Oakmont that he kicked in two lockers that were more than a century old. The club eventually banned him until he fixed the lockers, donated to charity and more.
While others in the sport have had similar outbursts or incidents, Clark's for whatever reason has stuck with him even as he's won again on the PGA Tour, climbed back up in the world rankings and largely dominated at another major championship.
"I've gotten a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so. The thing that's unfortunate is that's not who I am, what happened last year," he said Friday after his round. "I'm hoping I can win back the fans that I had, or some new fans, because it was a terrible incident. You know, I really feel like I can show people that I'm fun and outgoing, I'm fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment.
"Hopefully I can win those people back."
If Sunday's reaction is any indication, Clark still has a long way to go on that front. Hanging on to win a second career major championship, if he can pull it off, would certainly be a start.