4 min read
Wyndham Clark had something of a rough 2025. After missing the cut at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, he damaged a locker in the clubhouse in frustration, resulting in an indefinite ban from the club. The incident—though he apologized and took accountability—damaged his relationship with fans, resulting in them rooting against him at subsequent tournaments.
A year later, though, he triumphed at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock. His second U.S. Open win felt like validation, he said. Winning the major in 2023 was “amazing,” he says, before adding, “but you still think, ‘Man, I haven’t played good in the other majors. Was that luck? Was it just kind of my week and maybe it won’t happen again?’ So [to] win twice, it really shows: The first one was real, and the second one just shows that I can win major championships.”
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Clark celebrates with the U.S. Open Championship Trophy after winning at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in June.
Also key to his victory, Clark says, was “overcoming” what happened at the U.S. Open last year. “To come back and win and show the fans that that wasn’t the Wyndham Clark that I want them to know—or see what happened at Oakmont [as] how they view me.” He continues, “As I played and won in Shinnecock, I feel like I’ve kind of switched the narrative a little bit with the fans and people are starting to really root for me again, which is obviously really nice as a player and a person just to be like, ‘okay, people like me, they’re not trying to bring me down.’”
It’s tough to play when the crowd is against you, Clark says. “People love chirping at athletes and you give them anything, you give them an inch, they go a mile,” he says. “It is a little difficult. I mean, there’s just not as much momentum. But someone told me, they’re like, ‘Hey, Darth Vader had more fun.’ I’m not Darth Vader, but they’re like, ‘Sometimes that’s fun.’ But now people are rooting for me, and that just makes you feel good and helps you build momentum.”
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Clark and his caddie David Pelekoudas, known as “Big Wave Dave.”
Clark has also made changes behind the scenes this season, including hiring a new caddie. One of his best friends, John Ellis, had been carrying his bag since 2017. They mutually parted ways earlier this year. “We had tons of success,” says Clark, “but I think caddie-player relationship is like a marriage, and we spent so much time together. We chose our relationship over the job.” (Ellis and Clark met when he was an undergraduate at the University of Oregon, and Ellis was an assistant coach on the men’s golf team.) With his new caddie, David Pelekoudas, known as “Big Wave Dave” on tour, we are “able to separate business and friendship a little bit better.” Clark says the arrangement works “better than I could have imagined—and quicker.”
Despite no longer working with his collegiate coach, Clark views his time as an undergraduate as formative. “I look back and realize how much fun being on a team was,” he says. “You had to go to class for a few hours each day and then we’re playing golf. You’re hanging out with friends, going to sporting events, and really didn’t have too many worries. I would go back in an instant to go play college golf again.”
The sport has changed a lot since he was in college, he says, namely: golf is now “cool.” “When I was in high school, I played a bunch of other sports and my buddies that played basketball, football always used to make fun of me and be like, ‘Oh man, you play golf, that’s lame.’ Now they’re all asking, ‘What club should I get?’ And they’re now obsessed with golf. And you see rappers and musicians and other athletes like LeBron James are into golf,” Clark says. (His dream celebrity foursome: Kevin Hart, Steph Curry, and Katt Williams.)
He adds, “It’s just been really great for golf—and obviously great for us at the highest part of the game to have more fans, new fans. It’s been a fun ride the last two, three years after COVID where golf is really on the rise.”
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Clark and his girlfriend Emily Tanner.
Once the season winds down, though, Clark is looking forward to stepping away from the game for a bit. He has trips planned later this year to Cabo and South Africa, and says that when he travels, he usually leaves golf behind. “I just want to immerse myself in the culture, see all the sites you want to see, eat all the great food,” he says. “When I’m away from golf, I try to really stay away from golf.”
For now, though, his focus is squarely on what’s in front of him. After a season in which the narrative around him often threatened to overshadow his play, Clark is back to chasing the thing he enjoys most: Being in the mix. “I just love being in contention and competing,” he says. “Hopefully come the back nine on Sunday, I have a chance to win.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.