Wyndham Clark is a two-time major champion now. And he’s not letting the haters stop him from celebrating.
After securing a one-stroke victory at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, a hot mic caught Clark telling a friend exactly what was next. According to Christopher Powers of Golf Digest, Clark was heard saying, “Let’s GO! We’re drinkin’ tonight.”
The crowd wasn’t exactly rooting for him. Clark wasn’t the fan favorite out there. But the people closest to him were thrilled. His girlfriend Emily Tanner, his caddie David Pelekoudas, and his father Randall all watched him fight through the noise.
“He was fighting everything,” Randall Clark told The Athletic’s Brody Miller. “He was fighting everyone. He’s all alone out there.”
That image of Clark as a lone figure battling the course and the crowd fits a narrative that’s followed him for a while. A year ago at Oakmont Country Club, Clark had a meltdown that went viral. He destroyed a 121-year-old lock in a moment of frustration. The clip spread fast. It colored how a lot of fans see him.
But the people who actually know him tell a different story.
“I mean, he’s a really gushy guy,” Tanner said. “Like he’s just a big teddy bear and he just loves everyone and everything. I mean, there’s not one person in his life that I’ve met that hasn’t said amazing things about him since he was a little boy.”
Pelekoudas backed that up. He’s known Clark for six or seven years, first as a friend and then as his caddie on tour.
“He’s always been a great friend,” Pelekoudas said. “He’s always generous. He always asks you how you’re doing. He talks to you on your off weeks when you’re not all out together, and I just think he really does care about other people and he takes care of everyone around him.”
So now Clark gets to celebrate with the people who have his back. No hot mics needed. Just a round of drinks with the folks who saw the guy behind the viral blowup.
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