At the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Wyndham Clark entered the final round with a six‑shot lead but faced sustained heckling from fans. The crowd was favoring his playing partner, Scottie Scheffler, who was fighting for a career Grand Slam. But as Clark admitted, every time someone said something negative to him, he replaced it with something positive. He even tried to lighten the situation by stirring up some conversations with the World No. 1, only to see all his efforts go in vain.
The PGA Tour shared an Instagram post in which Clark reveals the incident to Sam Burns, his second-round partner at the BMW Championship 2026.
“Playing at the US Open with Scottie, last day. Kind of pulled it with my 5-iron, and then he hits a good shot. We’re walking off the tee, and I was like, ‘Did you hit five?’ Doesn’t say a word and just keeps walking. I go, ‘All right, it’s going to be like that today,'” Clark told Burns.
Officials paired Clark with Scheffler, as Clark started the final round with a six-stroke advantage and Scheffler was tied for second. Despite the final round of three-over par, Clark never gave up the lead. Ultimately, he won the U.S. Open for the second time, while the World No. 1 missed his chance to complete the Grand Slam.
On course, Scheffler is strictly business. In fact, the PGA Tour wrote that he is strictly business inside the ropes, as captioned in this post.
Scheffler confirmed this mindset ahead of the Tour Championship, crediting his consistency to intensity. And he brings this intensity to every round, regardless of whether it is a major, a Signature Event, or a regular PGA Tour stop. That’s a competitive mindset, he said, that he developed by watching Tiger Woods.
While Scheffler has shown some frustration over his performances this year, his on-course demeanor is unusually calm and self‑contained. He doesn’t even show very loud expressions, even after the biggest wins. For instance, when Ryan Fox won the Claret Jug this year, he immediately fist-pumped and showed a highly animated reaction. He was emotional while FaceTiming with his family and went on to celebrate later in New Zealand, too.
Scheffler’s Open win reaction was starkly different: a slight grin, a handshake, and an embrace with caddie Ted Scott.
However, Clark has a completely opposite nature. He is outspoken and loud. After his BMW Championship 2026 win, he said he now has six PGA Tour wins, but none of them came with being a crowd favorite. But he still called it fun to be doing what he was doing.
While the U.S. Open is over, the two elites are now fighting for the Player of the Year award.
Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark’s case for POY
Clark has had three wins this season, including the U.S. Open and the BMW Championship. Meanwhile, Scheffler has not won as much in the last two years. This season, he has only two wins.
But the case for POY is not based on wins alone. What has been more impressive about Scheffler this year is his consistency. Over 19 starts so far, he has had five runner-up and two third-place finishes. This has intensified the debate over which of the two is a worthy candidate for the Player of the Year award.
Justin Thomas gave a blunt verdict on this. He noted that the response would differ from person to person because it ultimately depends on what someone values more.
Rory McIlroy had a similar response. The Northern Irishman said that it is subjective. Some would value more wins, while others would value Scheffler’s consistency.
The Tour Championship’s results will now help people make their final decision. But Clark and Scheffler’s contrasting personalities are what make these things more interesting, similar to their pairing at the U.S. Open. While Clark tried to break the tension with conversation and humor, Scheffler remained locked into his trademark focus.