Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In June, Wyndham Clark left a wave of destruction in his path in the locker room at Oakmont after missing the cut at the U.S. Open. He apologized for the outburst, but that wasn’t enough to avoid being banned from the course for the foreseeable future.
Any golfer who’s fought (or failed to resist) the urge to chuck a club into the nearest body of water during a round knows that keeping your cool on the course is easier said than done, and I’m assuming most people reading this who’ve faced that situation weren’t playing for the kind of stakes you’ll encounter on the PGA Tour.
It’s not incredibly common to see the best players in the world throw a bit of a fit during a tournament, but there have still been plenty of situations where pros have had some trouble keeping their emotions in check—which is somewhat understandable when you consider a single stroke can be the difference between hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Wyndham Clark has earned a bit of a reputation as a hothead due to his behavior in a couple of majors this year, and one of those incidents has come back to bite him now that he’ll need to jump through a few hoops if he wants to return to the country club that hosted the 125th edition of the U.S. Open.
Oakmont has banned Wyndham Clark from its grounds until he atones for his damage to the locker room
Clark was riding a string of rough finishes heading into the U.S. Open at Oakmont in June, and he missed the cut for the third time since the start of the season (doing so by just one stroke) after posting back-to-back 74s during the first two days of the tournament.
It was obviously a frustrating development, but he went a bit too far by caving in a couple of lockers in the dressing room before departing—an outburst that transpired after he damaged a sign after throwing his driver in disgust during the PGA Championship in May.
It took him a few days to fess up, but the three-time PGA Tour winner did issue an apology while making it clear he wanted to move on.
“I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I’m very sorry for what happened.”
Wyndham Clark addressed his actions regarding the damaged lockers at the U.S. Open. pic.twitter.com/czcaFruxF4
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) June 19, 2025
Unfortunately, that’s going to be easier said than done, as Golf Digest reports the powers that be at Oakmont recently sent a letter to members who were informed Clark has been banned from the property until he offers some restitution, saying:
“Several of you have inquired about the situation involving Wyndham Clark and the steps being taken in response to his recent behavior. Following multiple discussions with the USGA and the OCC Board, a decision has been made that Mr. Clark will no longer be permitted on OCC property…
Reinstatement would be contingent upon Mr. Clark fulfilling a number of specific conditions, including full repayment for damages, a meaningful contribution to a charity of the Board’s choosing, and the successful completion of counseling and/or anger management sessions.”
The U.S. Open won’t be returning to Oakmont until 2033, so it seems safe to assume that Clark will no longer be banned when the major is hosted there for the 11th time.