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Just months after New York golf fans were the subject of controversy for how they behaved at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, they hardly slowed their roll as the PGA Tour returned there.
The U.S. Open took place at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club near the Hamptons this past weekend, and on championship Sunday, Wyndham Clark was public enemy No. 1.
Clark had to go through boos and jeers en route to his second U.S. Open title, which are extremely unusual sounds at golf tournaments. Perhaps one particular reason for facing somewhat of a road-game crowd was the fact that he was paired with Scottie Scheffler, who is a U.S. Open victory away from winning the career Grand Slam.
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On the other hand, one could argue Clark has brought it upon himself — he was banned from Oakmont Country Club after destroying a locker and has had other on-course outbursts and cheating controversies.
“I sort of heard some things about, I try to turn some golf on. I saw I think I saw his 18th hole, I got back to the house and watched him play come up 18. But yeah, I did hear, you know, he’s getting some flack. It’s a tricky thing,” Xander Schauffele told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
But Clark was all class after the victory 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, like he even mentioned in his interview, he kind of used that as fuel to play even better and sort of prove it to himself more than anyone else,” Schauffele said.
RORY MCILROY DISCUSSES BETHPAGE BLACK FANS, WHETHER HE’D WANT RYDER CUP BACK IN NEW YORK
Schauffele even mentioned that the boos Clark heard in Canada for wearing a Jack Hughes jersey were “more lighthearted than what was happening to him in New York,” which begs the question of whether players want to, and should, still go to the New York area.
The ruckus caused Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch to call Long Island golf fans a “stain” on the game who “don’t deserve” to have major championships in the area. It doesn’t need repeating what Rory McIlroy and Team Europe went through last September at Bethpage Black.
But Schauffele, whose father even admitted he would not go to last year’s Ryder Cup because of what he accurately predicted, would not 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 there’s obviously anticipation that, you know, fans are pretty, I like to call passionate. So, it is what it is.
“I’m sure if you ask 100 different people, you’re going to get different answers. But for the most part, you know, I try to get them on my side as soon as possible.”
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The PGA Championship will be at Bethpage Black in 2033, and Shinnecock Hills will again host the U.S. Open in 2036.
Other upcoming PGA events in the New York metro area include next year’s BMW Championship at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, the 2028 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, and the 2029 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey.
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