Fans Cheering Against Wyndham Clark at the U.S. Open Are Losers

Wyndham Clark was celebrated when he won the 2023 U.S. Open, but has been jeered at the 2026 U.S. Open. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

I heard it all week. Fans at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club were actively rooting against Wyndham Clark.

When Clark's approach shot on the short par-3 11th rolled back into a bunker during the third round, someone in the grandstands nearby yelled “bad day to be a locker!,” alluding to Clark’s incident during the 2024 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he damaged two lockers after missing the cut. 

2026 U.S. Open: Round 4 Live Leaderboard

That poor decision by Clark notwithstanding, fans cheering poor shots by a player are complete losers and should be policed by the more astute fans nearby. 

Here’s just one example of fans openly rooting against Clark after he hit a bad shot:

Wyndham doesn't reach the green.

Ball rolls back down the hill. pic.twitter.com/rDW7Mwp3OJ

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 21, 2026

When I attended the 2007 Masters as a patron, my first professional golf tournament (I didn’t grow up playing or following the game), the first thing I did was read The Bobby Jones Spectator Guide. The legendary golfer and Augusta National founder wrote it in 1949. His words stuck with me then, and they’re still relevant today. 

“In golf, customs of etiquette and decorum are just as important as rules governing play. It is appropriate for spectators to applaud successful strokes in proportion to difficulty but excessive demonstrations by a player or his partisans are not proper because of the possible effect upon other competitors.

“Most distressing to those who love the game of golf is the applauding or cheering of misplays or misfortunes of a player. Such occurrences have been rare at the Masters, but we must eliminate them entirely if our patrons are to continue to merit their reputation as the most knowledgeable and considerate in the world.”

Golf spectators are called patrons at the Masters, a more cordial designation than fan for a venue that demands decorum. In the last nine months, golf fans in Long Island have proven to be complete boars. Not all of them are Long Islanders or New Yorkers. But the civility displayed in this area for two of golf’s biggest events is embarrassing. 

At the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, which is about 60 miles from Shinnecock Hills, the behavior of the barbarians who attend was so disgraceful, the PGA of America, which organizes the event, had to issue an apology. 

"Let me begin with what we must own. While the competition was spirited -- especially with the U.S. team's rally on Sunday afternoon -- some fan behavior clearly crossed the line," read a letter from PGA of America president Don Rea Jr. sent to PGA of America members. "It was disrespectful, inappropriate, and not representative of who we are as the PGA of America or as PGA of America golf professionals. We condemn that behavior unequivocally.”

Yet here we are, less than a year later, on this same island, discussing the same thing. It’s embarrassing. All golf fans need to hold themselves accountable. 

According to Kevin Van Valkenburg of The Fried Egg, fans were removed from the final round of the U.S. Open for yelling, “Don’t choke Wyndham,” during his round. The photo KVV took showed a fratboy looking 20-something in khakis, a blue shirt and a backwards hat. I’m sure some of his friends thought it was funny. That’s the problem. 

Fans should hold each other accountable in these moments. See something, say something. That something should be, “Hey, stop being an a------.”

You can root for whoever you want. You can vilify whoever you want. I wrote whyClark isn’t the villain people make him out to be, but it’s up to you whether you want to support him or not. 

What we can’t do is cheer for bad play. In an arena as intimate as golf, these torments have no place. Jones was right: we must eliminate them completely. Otherwise, we’re just as complacent as the clown yelling.