As Wyndham Clark was putting the finishing touches on a sparkling, eight-birdie 65 in the final round of the 153rd Open Championship, NBC announcer Dan Hicks surfaced on the broadcast one of the darker chapters in Clark’s career: the moment when Clark, after missing the cut at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in June, took out his frustration on a defenseless bank of lockers in Oakmont’s historic men’s locker room. Clark’s outburst incensed Oakmont members, and when a photo of the damage surfaced on social media, golf fans at large also got a look at the ugly result of Clark’s rage.
Hicks informed the NBC audience that Oakmont had recently decided to ban Clark from the club and “put the onus on him to be better,” which drew a spirited response from one of Hicks’ booth mates, four-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Kisner.
“I’m not sure anybody in the situation handled it properly,” Kisner said. “Wyndham probably could have nipped that in the bud with an earlier, or justifiable, statement, but locker rooms are supposed to be sacred. Not sure how that picture got out; USGA can help with that. I think if everyone just sat at a table face to face, that situation could go away pretty quickly.”
It seems highly unlikely that the United States Golf Association had anything to do with leaking that photo — the image was shared with Tron Carter of No Laying Up, who posted it on his X feed — but whatever the case, Hicks and Kisner’s rehash of L’Affaire Clark caught the attention of golf fans on social media.
Clark himself also was asked to reflect on the ramifications of the incident, in his post-round press conference on Sunday evening. “Obviously I feel terrible with what happened,” he said. “I’m doing anything I can to try to remedy the situation.”
Earlier this week, Golf Digest published a letter that Oakmont club president John Lynch had sent to members that said after “multiple discussions with the USGA and the OCC Board, a decision has been made that Mr. Clark will no longer be permitted on OCC property.” Lynch wrote that the club would consider reinstating Clark only if he fulfilled “a number of specific conditions, including full repayment for damages, a meaningful contribution to a charity of the Board’s choosing, and the successful completion of counseling and/or anger management sessions.”
Asked on Sunday whether those requirements felt reasonable to Clark, he said: “Yeah, we reached out and we wanted to do that. Obviously, it’s a no-brainer to pay for the damages. That was a given. Then obviously all the apologies, and I want to give back to the community because I hurt a great place in Pittsburgh, so I wanted to do anything I can to show them that what happened there was not a reflection of who I am and won’t happen again.”
The U.S. Open is slated to return to Oakmont in 2033, and then again in 2042 and 2049. Clark earned a 10-year U.S. Open exemption for winning the 2023 U.S. Open, meaning he would be exempt for the 2033 edition. As for whether Clark will be welcome at the club by then, he said, “That’s up to them. I really don’t know. I would hope so. It’s a fantastic course and place.”
Clark said he would have preferred that Lynch’s letter remain private but stressed that he was deeply regretful for his actions. “I did something awful, and I’m really sorry for it,” he said. “Hopefully they have it in their heart to forgive me, and maybe in the future I’ll be able to play there.”
That Friday in Oakmont wasn’t the first time Clark has let his temper get the better of him. After a loose tee shot at the PGA Championship in May, Clark flung his driver into signage behind the tee box. On the Monday after that tournament, he apologized on X, writing, “My actions were uncalled for and completely inappropriate, making it clear that I have things I need to work on.”
On Sunday in Portrush, Clark acknowledged the “two stupid things” he has done this year and said his anger management is a work in progress.
“I’ve been pretty open about my mental shift and change to get better,” he said. “One thing that it did do is wake me up and get me back into the person I know I am and the person I want to be. I hope those things don’t reflect because I don’t think they reflect on who I am, and going forward that stuff is not going to happen again.”
Clark’s Sunday 65 was bettered only by Bryson DeChambeau’s 64 and elevated him into a tie for 4th. It’s his first top-10 finish at a major since his U.S. Open win.
