Wyndham Clark has won two US Open battles, but can he ever win the war of public opinion?

East of the Shinnecock Canal on the Hamptons map, property prices soar to approximately $3.5 million, and a modest $1.6 million to the west. Social Life Magazine says Southampton, where you can find last week’s US Open venue, ‘represents old money attempting to coexist with new billions.’

A five-mile seafront stretch called Meadow Lane has earned the dystopian label of Billionaire’s Row, housing big noises in the financial world, of which the capital is 90 miles away at the bottom of Manhattan.

Occupants of this affluent, secluded enclave of sunglasses, plastic surgery and real estate were able to pop their heads in on America’s national golf championship at Shinnecock Hills over the weekend. Not that they did, though.

The final existing members of the Wyndham Clark fan club might claim the local clientele’s preoccupation with surfing and wine-tasting was the reason why there seemed relatively few left unenthusiastically applauding his second US Open triumph on Sunday afternoon at Shinnecock. Around double the number of people who were present during the week at this remote island venue are expected at Royal Birkdale at the 154th Open next month.

Another theory to explain the distinct lack of buzz and feet on the ground in the closing stages of the US Open has followed Clark around like a hideous smell, albeit his own stench, since he snapped his driver at the 2025 PGA Championship, putting a volunteer in mild danger in the process, and after he smashed up the locker rooms at Oakmont at this very tournament 12 months ago.

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Throw in some strange comments from this year’s Masters, describing the fun-filled par 3 contest as effective birth control, and some rules of golf run-ins, and you can describe golf fans’ approach to the polarising American as ambivalence at best.

During the third round on Saturday, Clark was treated to awful, loud taunts by fans, reminiscent of the Ryder Cup that Long Island hosted back in September. When he hit a career shot to the 16th hole, carving up a remarkable fairway wood to set up an eagle, it was met with polite applause.

In the final round, as his lead briefly frittered away to two shots with a hot Sam Burns in pursuit, other fans were cheering his misfortune. Now tackling a form of Shinnecock Hills burned and dry, his second shot, bounding through the par-5 5th green was met with cries of glee, and even more when his chip rolled back down the seismic slope before him.

This became rife throughout the final round. The jeers were uncomfortable, and the silence in acknowledgement of any Clark progress was, too. With five holes left, Clark led by two from Burns and by three from Scottie Scheffler and others. It reached the stage where you contemplated what might actually happen if Clark didn’t win, having held a six-shot lead with 18 holes left. Would he cry? Would the crowd just collectively laugh themselves to death?

With the prize money of $4.5 million, though, and another major trophy, maybe Clark could get a place in Suffolk County, and stroll the linksy turf of Shinnecock for the rest of his days in sweet ignorant bliss of his haters, of which there are clearly many.

What that money cannot do, however, is replace the feeling of loss that Clark has felt since the passing of his mother, Lise, from breast cancer in 2013. If you think some derision is justified in some parts of his character, then sympathy is of equal measure in others; if not, a whole lot more.

Lise had been fighting cancer in the summer before her son’s sophomore year in college. Clark was contending at the Western Amateur when his aunt called to say that Lise’s physical state had deteriorated. She passed away less than a day after that call.

Lise was also a great sportswoman. He once recounted his mother having a mean football-throwing arm and beating each of their family members at ping pong. She was also Miss New Mexico in 1981. During his career, Clark has worked with sports psychologist Julie Elion to navigate his mental battles, which initially helped him win his first US Open at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023.

This treatment from the fans in New York isn’t exclusive to the Denver-born 32-year-old, though. There was the vile 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage, but also Brooks Koepka’s US Open campaign at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. The fans weren’t shy in wishing the worst of Koepka’s fortunes that time, and he went on to win. Clark has now replicated his former Ryder Cup teammate’s achievement.

My inkling, and first part of my summary of the Clark saga, is 90% of the disdain thrown his way is because of his antics last year at Oakmont in Pennsylvania. He ruined lockers in the locker room at one of the game’s great venues, was banned from the club, and was encouraged to seek counselling. Regardless of how high or low the horse you sit on, this was shameful behaviour.

The second part is that it will become tedious to poke Clark with this stick after so long. You are allowed to root for who you like, and the most dedicated naysayers can also argue that one favourable Thursday afternoon of golden-hour golf allowed him to put Shinnecock Hills not only on its knees, but lying fully on its front with a staggering 64.

But, he was resolute thereafter on his way to a wire-to-wire win, making every awkward par putt he looked at, particularly on day three when the USGA released the hounds and let the course feast on the competitors. He only hit nine greens in regulation and lost strokes to the field in approaching the green.

Level par is never a bad score at the US Open, which was the score that helped Clark extend his lead from four to six shots through 54 holes.

It was the largest lead through three rounds at a US Open since Rory McIlroy’s victory at Congressional in 2011, and only twice has a player come from six back in the final round to win.

In the end, Scheffler’s grand slam had to wait, Burns’ close calls at the US Open tick over, and Tom Kim reminded everyone of his talents aged just 24.

There are always moments when a leader like Clark huffs and puffs, and the advantage is whittled away, and it was whittled away. But he won, and whoever might be unenthused by the outcome of this major, staggeringly already the third of four done in 2026, will have to accept that Wyndham Clark is now in a very exclusive pool of players in the game’s history with two major trophies gleaming back at him.

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