Windham Clark Wins the US Open

Windham Clark claimed victory at the US Open on Sunday, held at Shinnecock Hills. Remarkably, this win marks his ninth overall, and it’s the first time in over a decade that a player has won the tournament from start to finish without a tie. That’s quite an achievement at such a prestigious event.

Interestingly, this isn’t Clark’s first time holding a national championship. He is now a two-time US Open champion, with both titles achieved in just four years. It’s definitely something to remember.

However, it’s worth noting that Windham isn’t exactly the crowd favorite on the PGA Tour. This fact played a notable role in the reactions to his victory on Sunday.

Reactions to the Win

Now, let’s just be clear here. Everyone is entitled to their feelings.

Sure, you might be feeling frustrated about Clark winning the US Open again. Perhaps you tweeted about it. Maybe you were even there at Shinnecock, expressing your dissatisfaction, as if to say anyone else could’ve taken the title.

I’m not here to dictate how anyone should feel. That wouldn’t make much sense. But still… Windham Clark wins the US Open! And it seems like some folks are eager to downplay that achievement.

For those unfamiliar, it’s worth mentioning that Windham had a bit of a meltdown last year at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, damaging his locker after a disappointing performance. That incident was quite talked about, and it feels like it’s been a year since then without much justification offered. It’s hard to find universal agreement on anything these days, but in this case, many seem to agree—it wasn’t a good look. It was, well, embarrassing.

Windham has publicly apologized numerous times since that event. This issue came up repeatedly during NBC’s coverage of the tournament. To be clear, nobody is excusing his actions, whether it be the locker incident or the club toss at the 2025 PGA Championship. I’m not suggesting you should change your opinion about these moments.

But isn’t it a little disappointing that some people are still so hung up on this when Windham has just triumphed in, arguably, one of the hardest tests in golf—for the second time in four years? Did he have to deal with jeers and insults while winning the championship?

I don’t want to come off as the “golf police,” but if the focus is on Clark’s past transgressions, isn’t this kind of public backlash also contrary to the spirit of the game? It seems like there’s an unusual fixation on this topic at this point.

If you’re feeling strongly about this, that’s your choice, as I mentioned. Just because Clark won doesn’t mean it magically changes everything.

Maybe, just maybe… consider holding back on that intense energy sometimes? Could it be that you’re not channeling it into something positive?