Wyndham Clark overcame a ruthless crowd to win the U.S. Open on Sunday. His psychologist couldn’t handle it.
Her absence from the course during the final round seems counterintuitive.
Clark, and her other professional clients, may want to consider a change after this latest result. How is she going to help them to keep their composure on the golf course if she is unable to deal with the pressure herself?
Wyndham Clark handled the U.S. Open crowd with the utmost class.
It was brutal Sunday for Wyndham Clark, until it wasn’t. The 54-hole leader entered the final round of the U.S. Open with a six-shot lead. He only won the tournament by one. The two-time champion nearly suffered the greatest collapse in history.
First and foremost, Clark did not play well. His lead was down to a single shot after just five holes. The amount of stress that weighed on his shoulders only continued to increase as he came down the back stretch. It all came down to the last three holes.
Clark hit one of his worst drives of the weekend on 16.
He three-putted for bogey on 17.
If that was not difficult enough, the Sunday crowd at Shinnecock Hills was actively rooting against him. They were ruthless. Multiple hecklers were removed from the grounds by police. Spectators cheered for his worst shots and groaned for his best.
Even his putt to win the U.S. Open was met with muted applause.
WIRE-TO-WIRE FOR WYNDHAM! 🏆 🏆 pic.twitter.com/k7kvzfXzTS
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 21, 2026
Brandel Chamblee said that he has never seen an American player get so jeered on American soil.
"I've never seen an American player on American soil get so jeered … I've never seen anybody have to deal with that element in a major championship to the extent that I saw him have to deal with it today."
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 21, 2026
Brandel talks about the crowd's reaction to Wyndham at the U.S. Open. pic.twitter.com/Z8EgH4RylM
Even Scottie Scheffler said that it went a bit too far.
Scottie Scheffler on how the fans treated Wyndham Clark in the final round: "The crowd was tough today. I mean, New Yorkers, they are tough people. There was a good turnout from the fans. You like seeing the fans cheer for you. I think sometimes it can get a little too much when,… pic.twitter.com/dBXW5aZqzC
— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) June 21, 2026
Wyndham Clark handled the situation with the utmost class.
Wyndham Clark was all class when asked about not being the fan favorite in the final group 👏
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 21, 2026
📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/AuyQ8dfBlN
And, at the end of the day, the haters are irrelevant. Clark won his second U.S. Open.
Nothing else matters. A win is a win.
His sports psychologist could not handle the hecklers.
Wyndham Clark is known to be something of a mental midget. His sports psychologist, Julie Elion, was a big talking point of the U.S. Open. NBC even featured her on the broadcast throughout the weekend. (Way more often than the fans would’ve liked.)
Sports psychologist Julie Elion knows the importance of the mental game when it comes to Wyndham Clark’s quest for the 2026 U.S. Open title. 👀
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 21, 2026
📺U.S. Open Round 4: 12pm ET on NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/yvYR80jFTp
Clark had to battle his own internal demons while getting heckled by unruly New Yorkers. It was not easy. He needed to rely on Elion’s teachings to keep his cool and finish out the final round. She prepared him for a moment of this magnitude
However, she could not handle the heat herself. Elion actually had to leave the course because of the crowd.
What kind of message does that send to her clients??? When the going gets tough… go inside!
Perhaps this is why Clark struggles so much with his mental game. The woman who is tasked with helping him to stay cool, calm and collected basically quit on him during his biggest moment. That is not the kind of psychologist that I would want in my corner.