Wyndham Clark’s U.S. Open fan abuse was so bad, his sports psychologist took cover

June 22, 2026 - 07:05

The verbal abuse directed at Wyndham Clark during the final round of the U.S. Open was so intense that his own sports psychologist had to take cover. Julie Elion, who has worked with Clark for years, was walking in his gallery at Pinehurst No. 2 on Sunday when the crowd's hostility became too much to handle. She eventually retreated to the clubhouse, unable to stay near the action.

Clark was the target of relentless heckling, much of it stemming from his slow pace of play and a lingering feud with fellow competitor Rory McIlroy. Fans shouted insults, mocked his timing, and made personal remarks. Elion told reporters that the environment felt unsafe and that she needed to remove herself from the situation for her own well-being. She described the crowd as "vicious" and said she had never experienced anything like it in her years of working with professional golfers.

The noise did not stop Clark from finishing the tournament. He shot a final-round 71 to tie for third place, three shots behind winner Bryson DeChambeau. But the experience has sparked a broader conversation about fan behavior at golf events. Players and officials have noted a rise in aggressive heckling, and the PGA Tour has already taken steps to ban disruptive spectators. Clark himself said after the round that the abuse was "disappointing" and that it crossed a line. He thanked the fans who supported him but made it clear that the vitriol was hard to ignore.

Elion's decision to leave the course underscores just how toxic the atmosphere had become. For a sports psychologist whose job is to keep an athlete calm, being forced to walk away from the gallery says a lot about what Clark had to endure.