Wyndham Clark has no one to blame but himself for the golf world’s reaction to his recent outburst, although one of his peers believes it’s not just his own doing.
The short-tempered Clark has made an unsightly habit of on-course behavior that certainly fails to reach etiquette typically associated with golf. The 2023 U.S. Open champion almost struck a volunteer at the PGA Championship when he fired his driver after an errant tee shot.
Clark later apologized for the incident, but he seemingly didn’t learn his lesson.
That’s because things got worse at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh. Clark went 74-74 over the first two rounds and missed the cut at 8-over. At some point after struggling through the brutally challenging Oakmont, he took out his frustration on the lockers in the club’s famed locker room.
The fallout to that wasn’t good for Clark. The story went viral, and he once again was forced to apologize for an outburst. That apparently wasn’t good enough for Oakmont, however, and the club banned Clark, contingent upon a handful of conditions.
Kevin Kisner Blames USGA for Wyndham Clark Incident Going Public
During the final round of The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, Kisner — who is the lead analyst for NBC’s coverage of the PGA Tour — gave his take on the situation. As Clark putted out to end his tournament, Kisner wanted to hand out multiple pieces of blame pie and also hit the USGA with a drive-by in the process.
“I’m not sure anybody in the situation handled it properly,” Kisner said, as seen on the NBC telecast. “Wyndham could have nipped that in the bud with an earlier or justifiable statement. But locker rooms are supposed to be sacred. Not sure how that picture got out. The USGA can help with that. I think if everybody sat a table face to face, that situation could go away pretty quickly.”
Clark’s situation is slightly complicated. He has done very well to save his career from the depths, as he was mediocre at best earlier in his career. He has been open about the mental struggles he has endured in his career and credits a lot of his turnaround to his work with a sports psychologist.
“I didn’t really have anything to hide. I also think it’s part of my calling in both golf and in life to kind of share my story,” Clark said in 2024 about his experience with the show.
“I’ve had a lot of adversity and challenges thrown my way, and I think my story will I hope inspire a lot of people and the people that have had similar stuff happen in their life maybe this is an inspiration for them to keep going and anything like that.”
That might be true, but Clark might risk undoing some or all of that goodwill if he continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons — regardless of how it gets out.
What’s Next for Clark?
Clark played well at the 2025 Open Championship, and he might be in the golf spotlight down the stretch of the PGA Tour season. He’s right around the cutline for the FedEx Cup playoffs, but he should take a jump after his Royal Portrush performance.
Where Clark’s fortitude will really be tested, though, might be at the 2025 Ryder Cup. He’s probably a long shot, but Clark possesses the skill set to take on Bethpage Black. He went 1-1-1 in Team USA’s loss to Europe in 2023 in Rome.
NBC Analyst Has Head-Scratching Take On Wyndham Clark Oakmont Ban