Entering the Shinnecock Hills last week, Wyndham Clark had only one aim: to redeem himself. He was the last man standing, holding his second US Open trophy, even though he was the last man everyone wanted to see. That momentum has very much carried on in TPC River Highlands. Three rounds into the Travelers Championship, he sat at 13-under, tied for fifth, very much in the mix at the final Signature Event of the PGA Tour’s regular season. But the good form is not the only thing he is experiencing.

“Honestly, just coming here the whole week, everyone has been polar opposite of last week,” Clark said in his presser on Saturday. “Everyone has been so nice. They’re rooting for me, cheering for me. Just a lot of, like, genuine pulling for me. That’s probably been the nicest thing, just the reprieve or the difference between last week.”

The differences in the gallery are pretty obvious. Clark spent the entire week at the U.S. Open absorbing heckles from fans who were openly pulling for Scottie Scheffler, and officers stepped in to eject spectators shouting, “Don’t choke Wyndham!” toward him mid-swing. Clark said he knew some criticism would come his way, but he definitely didn’t expect people to be cheering against him.

“Man, they definitely didn’t want me to win,” Clark said in the champions’ press conference. “It’s pretty rare in an Open Championship or a major to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots.

At the Travelers, paired alongside Tommy Fleetwood for the opening round, the loudest noise around him was applause instead. Clark has always said he absorbs the positive fan reaction to win in events, and that has certainly shown in Cromwell, Connecticut.

“Yeah, minimum. Minimum. I would have preferred obviously more,” Clark said Saturday. “But I thought, yeah, 4 or 5 was the minimum you had to shoot today to kind of be in contention. You know, unfortunately, these guys will probably get to 19, maybe 20, so it could be a little out of reach, but still a great day tomorrow. Could have a nice finish and lead into a nice off week.”

Clark is standing at a five-way tie for the fifth spot with 5-under-65. He entered the day and right away made a birdie on the second. He finished with five birdies on Saturday with only one bogey. And his putting is only helping. His Strokes Gained: Putting on the day was 4.9, ranking fifth with 1.54 Putts per GIR, leading everyone else. And while his swing has been improving, he continues to undersell it.

He opened the season ranked 132nd in Strokes Gained: Putting before switching to a Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset putter ahead of the Masters. The jump that followed, all the way to 43rd, lines up neatly with the best stretch of his year. A win at the CJ Cup, the Byron Nelson, the U.S. Open title, and now a top-five run at the Travelers all sit downstream of that single equipment change.

The fans were always going to be the headline from Wyndham Clark’s week, and he heads into Sunday having earned the respect and the good positioning four tournaments and one major deep.