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Just months after New York golf fans came under controversy for how they behaved at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, they barely slowed down when the PGA Tour returned there.
The US Open was held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club near the Hamptons this past weekend, and on championship Sunday, Wyndham Clark was public enemy number one.
Clark had to endure boos and jeers en route to his second US Open title, extremely unusual sounds in golf tournaments. Perhaps a particular reason for facing a visiting crowd was the fact that he was paired with Scottie Scheffler, who is one US Open victory away from winning his career Grand Slam.
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PGA golfers Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark walk the third hole during the third round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on March 16, 2024. (Brian Spurlock/Sportswire Icon)
On the other hand, you could argue that Clark brought this on himself: He was banned from Oakmont Country Club after destroying a locker and has had other on-course outbursts and cheating controversies.
“I’ve heard some things about how I try to play golf. I saw, I think I saw his 18th hole, and I came home and watched him play until the 18th. But yeah, I heard he’s getting some criticism. It’s kind of tough,” Xander Schauffele told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
But Clark was very classy after the win in his post-round media availability and in a heartfelt social media post, and Schauffele took notice.
“I thought he handled it incredibly well and, as he even mentioned in his interview, he used that as fuel to play even better and prove himself more than anyone else,” Schauffele said.
Xander Schauffele of Team USA reacts on the fourth green during the Saturday afternoon four-ball match of the 2025 Ryder Cup on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York, on September 27, 2025. (Maddie Meyer/PGA of America)
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Schauffele even mentioned that the boos Clark heard in Canada for wearing a Jack Hughes jersey were “more light-hearted than what was happening to him in New York,” raising the question of whether players want to and should go to the New York area.
The uproar prompted Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch to call Long Island golf fans a “blemish” on the game who “don’t deserve” to have major championships in the area. There is no need to repeat what Rory McIlroy and Team Europe went through last September at Bethpage Black.
But Schauffele, whose father even admitted he wouldn’t go to last year’s Ryder Cup because of what he accurately predicted, wouldn’t go that far.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing anywhere near New York or in the northeast. My experiences have been good. I mean, I know the Ryder Cup got a little spicy and obviously there’s anticipation that, you know, the fans are pretty, I like to call them passionate. So, it is what it is.
“I’m sure if you ask 100 different people, you’ll get different answers. But for the most part, I try to get them on my side as soon as possible.”
Wyndham Clark of the United States poses with the US Open Championship Trophy after winning the 126th US OPEN at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on June 21, 2026 in Southampton, New York. (Kate McShane/Getty Images)
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The PGA Championship will be held at Bethpage Black in 2033, and Shinnecock Hills will again host the US Open in 2036.
Other upcoming PGA events in the New York metropolitan area include next year’s BMW Championship at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, the 2028 US Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck and the 2029 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey.
