Wyndham Clark says he's "embarrassed and ashamed" about last year's locker incident at Oakmont
Ahead of this week's U.S. Open Championship, Wyndham Clark addressed last year's incident at Oakmont where he damaged a locker in the clubhouse of the famed club, saying that he's "embarrassed and ashamed" about what happened.
Clark, who won the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023, missed the cut at Oakmont last year, taking his frustrations out on a century-old locker he was using at Oakmont during the tournament, his second act that caused damage at a major last year.
In the wake of the incident, Clark was banned from the property with the club leadership saying that his reinstatement would be contingent on a number of things, including paying for the damages, making a contribution to the charity that the club's board chooses, and completing counseling or anger management.
Clark addressed the incident Monday during media availability ahead of this year's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, New York, saying that it "was a really challenging time."
"You know, it's something I've deeply regretted and feel awful that I did that, but there are so many good lessons in that really taught me a bunch and I've really come a long way and I'm excited for this year's Open for some redemption and to move forward and enjoy the challenges of Shinnecock and how great this place is and how amazing this championship is," Clark said.
In a SiriusXM interview, Clark referred to the incident as "a terrible thing," adding that he was very embarrassed and ashamed about what happened.
Oakmont Country Club, one of the storied venues in the game of golf, has hosted the U.S. Open a record ten times and is poised to host the event again in 2033, the year Clark's automatic exemptions into the tournament run out.
Clark said he hopes to be in the field when the U.S. Open returns to Oakmont, but added that the decision will ultimately be up to the club.
Heading into this week's U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, Clark sits 34th in the Official World Golf Rankings and has performed well in his last three outings with an 11th place finish at the RBC Canadian Open, a third place finish at the Memorial, and a win at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
