Wyndham Clark, Golf’s Winning Villain, Seeks To Be a Crowd Favorite Again

If Wyndham Clark is supposed to be the most hated man in golf, the gallery attending the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn., didn’t get the memo.When Mr. Clark went to hit his opening tee shot in the first-round of the signature tournament at TPC Highlands, he was given a loud ovation. The cheers of encouragement continued throughout the round, Mr. Clark’s first since capturing his second U.S. Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, on Long Island.Despite leading the tournament wire-to-wire, Mr. Clark was heckled mercilessly by the crowd on Saturday and Sunday with shouts such as “Get in the bunker” and “Don’t choke Wyndham.”It got so bad some people were escorted off the property, prompting his playing partner on Saturday, Matt Fitzpatrick, to ask him: “Does this happen every week?”“Yeah, every single week,” Mr. Clark said.Becoming a two-time U.S. Open champion is rarified air. Only 23 other golfers carry the distinction. Yet, Mr. Clark finds himself hoping his perseverance through adversity at Shinnecock will change the reception he has received for much of this year. “Hopefully, I’ve won people back,” he told the Golf Channel. “Hopefully, I can become a crowd favorite.”Golf is supposed to be a gentlemen’s game where good shots are applauded and bad shots elicit mostly groans. Cheering a golfer’s misfortune is normally reserved for the Ryder Cup Matches, and certainly not targeted at an American on American soil. But Mr. Clark received constant vitriol at Shinnecock “They definitely didn’t want me to win,” Mr. Clark told reporters. “It’s pretty rare in an Open Championship or a major to have fans boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots. It was tough, but I’m proud of myself that I battled through.”On paper Mr. Clark, 32, is just what the PGA Tour can market, the All-American story of perseverance and redemption. The Colorado native, who went to high school with NFL star Christian McCaffrey, dedicated his victory at the 2023 U.S. Open Championship at Los Angeles Country Club to his mother who died of breast cancer when he was just 13. He has spoken openly about his mother’s death and how it has reinforced his mental resilience and motivation.Yet, a disappointing stretch of golf followed, which led to why he understands the reason golf fans don’t like him. Two years after capturing his first major championship, Mr. Clark missed the cut at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh, one of the game’s most iconic venues. Having finished no better than a tie for 46th in any major since his victory in Los Angeles, Mr. Clark took out his frustrations by severely damaging a few lockers in the Oakmont locker room.He promptly apologized but apparently hasn’t been forgiven by golf fans with a long memory. It didn’t help that the incident was replayed over and over as Mr. Clark led all four days at Shinnecock. It also didn’t help that he was paired in the final group on Sunday with the World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, who needed a win in the U.S. Open to capture the career grand slam. Mix in the well-documented rowdiness of Long Island golf fans – see the 2025 Ryder Cup – and it was a confluence of circumstances that turned Mr. Clark into the ultimate villain.Mr. Fitzpatrick, an Englishman who has endured his share of hecklers, is puzzled by the hate. “I understand the jokes about the locker, but to me, the thing that I don’t like is when he hits a tee shot and you’re shouting get in the bunker or get in the water or whatever,” he said. “I think it’s a little bit unfair to be that way, particularly having an American fanbase rooting against an American player is a little bit odd in itself.”Mr. Clark hasn’t shied away from his villain image. He appeared on a CBS news show and the Dan Patrick Show, addressing the scrutiny he received and then rattled social media by revealing a former girlfriend cheated on him with NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield when Mr. Clark was playing golf at Oklahoma State and Mr. Mayfield was playing football at Oklahoma. “I’m actually a Baker fan now,” Mr. Clark said. “I think he’s a homie.”Wyndham Clark and his girlfriend Emily Tanner walk off the 18th green during the third round of the U.S. Open last Saturday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. Via Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesMr. Clark isn’t without his share of admirers. He’s dating influencer model Emily Tanner, who jumped into his arms after he defeated Sam Burns by one-stroke at Shinnecock and created a goose-bump moment when his father Randall surprised him on the 18th green with a memorable Father’s Day hug.Another key member of Team Clark is golf influencer Paige Spiranac, who says she has known Mr. Clark since he was 12. “I understand the need for a villain in sports, but beating people down for every little mistake especially after they took accountability is just tiresome,” she wrote to her 1.1 million followers. “I just feel that it’s been taken too far at this point.”It would have been understandable if Mr. Clark had taken the week off to relax physically and mentally after his grind at Shinnecock. But he said he wanted to honor his commitment to the Travelers and continue his good stretch of play —two wins in his last four starts.“I finally started putting good,” Mr. Clark said. “That’s kind of brought me back to playing good golf. All this is building great momentum for the rest of the year.”Plus, the fans were also a lot nicer in Connecticut. “The Champ is here,” someone shouted when Mr. Clark approached the Par-5 sixth tee at TPC Highlands. And when he missed a short putt on the par-3 8th, the groans returned.Wyndham Clark playing on the 17th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open last Saturday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. Via David Cannon/Getty ImagesKeegan Bradley, a New Englander who was captain of the 2025 Ryder Cup team that failed miserably at Bethpage Black on Long Island, said golf is attracting general sports fans who are more boisterous than the traditional golf fan.“People are coming to tournaments and that’s how people in New York cheer on the Knicks or the Giants or whatever,” he told reporters in Connecticut. “I think people are coming to golf tournaments to have a good time. We’re in an interesting time where golf is really taking off and we’re seeing a different group of people coming to these tournaments.”Mr. Clark insists he doesn’t begrudge the hecklers, saying their vigor reminds him of the 1996 movie “Happy Gilmore.” “I think it’s great for the game of golf,” he said. “Golf is cool right now. That’s going to bring cool people and they’re going to want to watch golf and they might react differently. I think maybe it’s a little different in New York than other places, but I think it’s all good.”Ultimately, Mr. Clark hopes his golf clubs can earn him the respect of fans and change boos to cheers. “I’m not going to lie. It’s not great to be disliked,” he said. “But I’m just going to continue to be the person I am because I know who I am and I think people will hopefully see that I’m not the person that did those terrible things last year at Oakmont. Hopefully, over time, people will actually believe that and become Wyndham Clark fans again.”

Wyndham Clark, Golf’s Winning Villain, Seeks To Be a Crowd Favorite Again

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