Shameful US Open fans treated winner Wyndham Clark like Colin Montgomerie back in the day

I am referring to the behaviour of so many of the home fans towards Wyndham Clark as the American set out with a six-shot lead in the closing circuit. From the moment he stepped on to the first tee in the same group as Scottie Scheffler, it was evident that something strange was happening.

It was almost as if we were back at Bethpage Black, scene of last year’s hostile Ryder Cup, and Clark was a European player. He admitted that himself afterwards in a roundabout way. “I've played a Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup on foreign soil, and it kind of had that atmosphere a little bit,” opined Clark.

According to Scott Van Pelt, ESPN’s excellent golf anchor, the treatment was on par with what Colin Montgomerie used to get from American fans over here. “He’s an American who won this championship before and took more s*** on home soil than players who have done far worse,” he wrote, referring to Clark, on social media on Sunday night. “Never saw anything like it, really. Worse than Monty got it at Congressional in ‘97. MONTY!!!”

There was no denying that lots of people wanted Clark, who’d won this event already at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023, to suffer one of the worst last-day collapses in major championship history. One of the reasons for that was obvious. On his 30th birthday, Scheffler was bidding to become just the seventh player to complete a career grand slam. You get that and here’s hoping that he achieves that feat one day, with his next opportunity coming at Pebble Beach in 12 months’ time.

The other reason was probably less obvious to the majority of people on our side of the Atlantic because Clark trashing the locker-room in last year’s US Open at Oakmont after missing the cut maybe wasn’t a huge talking point.

That, of course, is inexcusable and, in fairness to him, he knew he was wrong and has apologised for his actions on numerous occasions. With the trophy back in his custody, he talked on Sunday night about how he had been in a “really negative, dark place” at the time and how that had been a “terrible feeling”.

That being the case, the treatment he received from some of his fellow Americans was shameful and fair play to the USGA and police for ejecting some of the worst offenders. The “baba booey” brigade and “mashed potato” plonkers were out in force on this occasion and they really are a pain in the butt.

‘Golf has a New York issue’

It was suggested to me by a colleague and good friend, The Guardian’s Ewan Murray, that it’s a ‘New York issue’. He pointed out that something similar had happened to Brooks Koepka at Bethpage Black in 2018, when it looked as though he might throw away the PGA Championship.

He could be right, in fairness, and, you know something, I was absolutely delighted to see Clark ram some of the idiotic things that were being shouted either directly at him or wishing him to fail down the throats of those New Yorkers.

The Denver man joined both Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in becoming a multiple US Open winner in recent years. He did so by pulling off a first wire-to-wire win since Martin Kaymer achieved that feat at Pinehurst in 2014.

That Clark claimed the crown again was mainly down to the fact he saved par time and time again over the four days and far better than any other player in the field. “I played some ugly golf the last two days, but my putter and short game kind of kept me in it,” he admitted. "I mean to make all the putts I did with my PING putter that I love so much has been amazing.”

With all due respect to Scheffler, who gave it a great go, and, even more so, runner-up Sam Burns, Clark emerged as a worthy winner and golf, quite frankly, can do without some of the stuff we witnessed at the end of what I thought was a typical US Open at one of the so-called cathedral venues on this side of the Atlantic.

“Man, they definitely didn't want me to win,” he admitted. “It's pretty rare in an (US) Open Championship or a major to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots.

“Yeah, I mean, that was tough, I’m proud of myself that I battled through. Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive. You know, some of it's self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself, but I also get it, too. Scottie was going for the career Grand Slam, and it hasn't happened very often.”

Fair play to Scheffler for giving Clark the credit he deserved. “Crowds can be tough,” said the world No 1. “Being in the arena is not for everybody, and I think it shows a lot about Wyndham, how he handled not only this golf course but I think the crowd today as well and is a well-deserving champion.”

The 2026 men’s major campaign concludes with The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale in a few weeks’ time. There should be no repeat of such treatment to anyone there, but be warned that the 2028 US Open is back in the New York area at Winged Foot!