Wyndham the Ruiner: U.S. Open Recap

Throughout history there have been many known by “Name the [Insert Descriptive Word],” among them, Alexander the Great, Edward the Confessor, and William the Conqueror. Today, we can add another: Wyndham the Ruiner. 

The U.S. Open this week returned to the famed Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, one of the five founding member clubs of the United States Golf Association (USGA). It is known as the toughest test in golf, and right on cue, Wyndham Clark ruined the week — save for the back nine on Sunday, which his poor-ish play caused — en route to his second U.S. Open title in four years.

Before we recap this week, let’s go back and find out how we got here with Wyndham. In 2023, he won the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club (LACC), using his amateur-esque slice to ruin Rory McIlroy’s chance to win a major for the first time in nine years. He also blocked Rickie Fowler — a major fan favorite — from winning a major title.

At the Ryder Cup later that year, he put up a meager 1.5 points, not doing much to help the U.S. team pull out a win on the road. And last year, at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, he missed the cut and then proceeded to bash in a few lockers in the club’s historic clubhouse. It took him six days to issue an apology — which was weak by any standard — and only offered to pay for the damage after the club banned him. He has spent the better part of this year saying he deserved the hate he got for the incident, but can’t wrap his head around the fact that he was disliked long before the incident occurred.

Now to this week: Clark ruined the week after the first round, shooting 64 (-6). It wasn’t close most of the week and he entered today up six strokes. Shinnecock was supposed to be a dog fight with the winner shooting over-par. Now, I don’t fault him for shooting under-par. He, and two others — Sam Burns and Tom Kim, joined Raymond Floyd (1986 champion), Retief Goosen (2004 champion), and Phil Mickelson (2004 runner-up), as players to finish under-par in a U.S. Open at Shinnecock.

He scrambled for par from almost everywhere throughout the week, which in turn, ruined the week.

On to Pebble Beach.

P.S. I’m not the only one who feels this way. The fans serenaded Tom Kim and Scottie Scheffler with “Happy Birthday” considerably louder than they clapped/cheered when the final putt dropped.