Wyndham Clark did not have the crowd on his side on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, with the Long Island crowd clearly preferring Clark's playing partner and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in the closing 18 holes of the 126th US Open.
Clark knew it the whole time.
"Man, they definitely didn't want me to win," he said after the win. "It's pretty rare in an Open Championship or a major to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots."
And yet he still managed to hold it all together, shoot a closing 73 and wrap up a second major title. Like he did at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023, when crowds wanted Rory McIlroy and California native Rickie Fowler to win instead, Clark found a way to internalize the fans' disdain and do something good with it.
"Sometimes being the underdog is nice. I was in '23, and I kind of did the same thing. Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive," Clark explained.
Clark is also well aware that he drew the ire of the fans, particularly after multiple anger incidents last year, when he threw his driver threw a tee sign at the PGA Championship and damaged historic lockers at Oakmont Country Club in a fit after a poor performance at the US Open.
"You know, some of it's self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself, but I also get it, too," he said.
Then, add in that Scheffler was seeking the career Grand Slam for the first time, doing it on his 30th birthday. Clark knew he wasn't going to get a lot of love on Sunday. Clark turned to his caddie for some lighter moments when they caught the stray fans openly rooting for who ultimately was champion.
"I was kind of making jokes about it with Dave where if we heard someone cheer for me, I'd go, 'Oh, there's one person that likes me,'" he said. "So we would kind of make jokes and make it maybe a little light-hearted."
For what it's worth, Clark may have gotten himself ready for the jeering by trolling Canadian fans last week. At the RBC Canadian Open in the Toronto area, Clark showed up to the ice rink-themed par 3 in a USA hockey jersey, reminding the Canucks that the American men's and women's hockey teams both beat the nothern neighbors in the Olympic finals.
"I also got good prep last week in Canada," he said. "They were pretty harsh on me the last day, so I think that all of that combined kind of led to this moment where, all right, I've been in this position. It sucks being the underdog or getting rooted against, but I can pull through, and there's nothing like winning kind of an away game, if you will."
Clarks seems to believe the experience could be helpful for him in the longer haul. Twice now, the 32-year-old has managed to beat back the field and the crowds to win a major title.
"It was tough, but I'm proud of myself that I battled through," he said. "I mean, things really could have gotten away from me. I stood tough. Yeah, I would have liked to have won by more, but as long as you win, it doesn't matter."
