When Wyndham Clark entered the final round of the US Open 2026 as the leader, little did he know that he would be managing much more than just his nerves. Fans were in complete support of his partner Scottie Scheffler, who was fighting for his career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday. But instead of simply supporting the World No. 1, they were also jeering at Clark.

“Don’t choke Wyndham!,” “Get in the bunker!,” and “Anyone but Wyndham” are just some of the comments passed at the US Open 2026 champion. And this isn’t the first time. New York fans have a reputation for creating a hostile environment for golfers they don’t like, and Shane Lowry has already had a firsthand experience of the same when he was part of the European team during the Ryder Cup 2025. Watching Clark go through something similar, the Irishman offered his own candid assessment of New York crowds.

“I think New York fans are interesting. They like the sound of their own voice. I think if something comes into their head, they say it. And if it’s stupid, they say it louder,” the Irishman said on The Shotgun Start podcast.

“Look, the Ryder Cup was – I think the Ryder Cup is different because it’s a team event and it’s like us against them. You know, Wyndham, what he went through, I suppose, on Sunday, fair play to him for coming out the other side of it. I’m sure that was pretty difficult. But they all wanted Scottie Scheffler to win, I’m sure. That’s the way they were. I heard somebody say that we shouldn’t go back to New York or Long Island. But, no.”

Instead of supporting the view of never going back to New York, the 39-year-old professional said that the “herd’s going to act.” This act is something Shane Lowry has already experienced at Bethpage Black. And he said that it was much worse than what Wyndham Clark faced during the final round at Shinnecock Hills.

The Irish professional is not wrong, though. The energy at a Ryder Cup event is much more, not just for fans, but for golfers, too. In fact, after day 2 of the Ryder Cup 2025, Lowry himself admitted that the intensity was at its peak at Bethpage Black. However, he also said that he thrives on that intensity.

“It was intense. It was like something I’ve never experienced,” Lowry said at the Ryder Cup 2025. “But this is what I live for. This is it. This is, like, honestly, the reason I get up in the morning, for stuff like this.”

Shane Lowry himself faced a lot of heckling about his physique. Fans passed comments like “Oh, oh, oh, Ozempic” at him. Most European team professionals agreed that fans had crossed a line at the biennial event.

Rory McIlroy, who faced the most heckles, even engaged with fans on a few occasions.

“I wish they had let the dogs off the leashes,” McIlroy said in the post-round conference. “I didn’t hear a lot of shouts for Scottie (Scheffler) today, but I heard a lot of shouts against me. It’s like, support your players.”

While Wyndham Clark faced a similar experience, he was more accepting of the fan criticism.

“New York didn’t really like me … I love you guys, but I get it. Some of it is self-deserved,” he said.

When he missed the cut in the US Open 2025, Clark broke a century-old locker at Oakmont. He felt that his past behavior was one of the reasons why those negative comments were aimed at him. Therefore, one of his goals at the US Open 2026 was to win back fans, but it went the opposite way.

Wyndham Clark’s willingness to admit his role in drawing criticism offers a different perspective on the debate. However, it still does little to change the broader concerns surrounding crowd behavior. But Shane Lowry acknowledged that it is not going to stop.