Majors push your nerves, your patience, and how well you can tune out unnecessary voices. Wyndham Clark discovered that the hard way on Sunday. As he sits close to his second major win, his U.S. Open final round collided with an unpleasant heckler.

Golf commentator Andy Johnson captured the moment on social media. He shared that the fans on the first fairway were yelling ‘get in the bunker’ at Wyndham’s tee shot. He had a six-shot cushion as he started his play. Calling it a “long day” for him was no exaggeration.

Doug Ferguson also reported that one kid yelled, “Don’t choke, Wyndham,” when it was Clark’s turn to hit on 4. Security removed the kid, and the kid seemed to be a Shinnecock member’s kid.  Maybe the hostility traces back to last year’s Oakmont meltdown.

After missing the cut, Clark smashed a locker in the clubhouse, turning himself into an easy target for galleries with long memories. Though Clark has been blunt about the fallout, fans seem to remember.

“I’ve gotten a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so. The thing that’s unfortunate is that’s not who I am or what happened last year. I’m hoping I can win back the fans that I had or some new fans because it was a terrible incident,” Clark said.

Heckling is not a new thing in golf. For years, fans have been heckling golfers on the course. Colin Montgomerie was called “Mrs. Doubtfire” taunts throughout the 1990s, and he also carded a Round 2 76 at the 1997 U.S. Open despite tolerating abusive calls and name-calling from fans.

Sergio Garcia flashed an abusive fan a middle finger at the 2002 U.S. Open. Rory McIlroy snatched a heckler’s phone during his practice round at the PLAYERS Championship 2025 after his ball landed in water. Then there is whatever happened at Bethpage last year during the Ryder Cup. It was deemed the worst behavior fans have ever had at a golf tournament.

But the crowd at Shinnecock today is excited. Clark, Scottie Scheffler, and the rest of the field knew exactly what Sunday’s pairing meant. Scheffler sat at 1-under, six back, chasing the career Grand Slam on the same day as his 30th birthday and Father’s Day.

Reporter Brentley Romine described the scene on the first tee, where the gallery broke into a full “Happy Birthday” singalong for Scheffler while Clark, the actual tournament leader, drew comparatively muted applause.

Clark’s week is far from the only example of how thin the line between energy and abuse has gotten in professional golf.

Heckling beyond Wyndham Clark: A sport still figuring out its crowds

At the 2026 PGA Championship, McIlroy turned on a fan mid-round at Aronimink and told him to shut the f**k up before pointing him out to security. Months earlier, at the 2025 Ryder Cup in Bethpage Black, he faced sharper hostility still, personal abuse aimed at him, and a beer thrown at his wife Erica.

Ryder Cup Saturday turned uglier for Fleetwood and Justin Rose. Bryson DeChambeau screamed directly into Fleetwood’s face, walking to the 16th tee, forcing caddie Ian Finnis to step between them. Rose had his own flashpoint minutes earlier, clashing with American caddies over his putting line on the 15th green.

A fan, identified as Brandon Kelly, once threw a hot dog at Tiger Woods mid-round on Sunday at the 2011 Frys.com Open and got arrested for it. Woods laughed it off.

Not every gallery moment carries menace, but the line between harmless noise and targeted abuse has clearly blurred, and players from McIlroy to Clark are the ones left to navigate it in real time.