Anyone who has played the game of golf for a significant period of time will probably have to admit that there will have been a time when they have not conducted themselves in the best way.
Golf has an incredible way of being both the best way to spend four and a half hours, as well as the thing which completely ruins a weekend.
One of the reasons Scottie Scheffler is at the top of the game right now is his remarkable mental game. Nothing seems to impact the world number one’s outlook before each shot, even if the previous one was poor.
But not all golfers have that ability to keep their temper in check. If a fan is asked to think of a world-class golfer who often reaches boiling point, it is likely that Tyrrell Hatton will quickly come to mind.
Brandel Chamblee calls for PGA Tour star to be suspended
However, Hatton seems to be brilliant at leaving most of his frustrations on the golf course. Another player was not so successful at last week’s US Open.
It was reported on social media after the third major of the year that a player had done significant damage to some of the lockers at Oakmont. Though the player’s identity was not initially confirmed, it was hinted that Wyndham Clark had been the culprit.
And when asked about the incident on The Favorite Chamblee, Brandel Chamblee suggested that the 2023 US Open champion should face serious consequences.
“I saw the pictures online. He’s not the first tour pro that’s had a temper tantrum in the locker room. I’ve witnessed one myself, which I’ve told a few times. I’m not going to throw the person under the bus, but he came in and opened his locker door hard and the door came off the hinges. He was close to me because his last name was close to mine alphabetically, and he had just blown it and lost on the last hole, made a big number and lost. The fella then, he was an older, known to be comically surly, player, and you typically walk out of the locker room and you always give them $100 or a couple hundred dollars for the attendant. ‘Thanks for everything you did this week’. And he just walked up and he pulled his chequebook out and he was like, ‘I’m going to write you a cheque for that locker. However much you tell me it is I’m going to double it and I apologise’. He did the wrong thing, but he did the right thing. I never forgot that,” he said.
“So when I saw the pictures of what Wyndham did, I thought wow, it was far worse than what I had witnessed, and it wasn’t one locker, it looked like three lockers. It was reprehensible for sure. You’re a guest in these clubs. You’re there for one week, and you’re a guest, you’re meant to behave like a guest. It’s analogous to me to having somebody over at your house and they don’t like what you serve them so you start breaking dishes. You’d ask them to leave.
“We live in an era where there are so many concessions being made to tour pros, and everybody sides with the tour pros on almost every single issue. It’s like they can do no wrong. But when they do wrong, they should be called out for it and fined for it. Hopefully, he’s going to face a significant fine. If I were the commissioner, I’d probably suspend him for a significant period of time to send a message to everybody else. That’s not how you behave. It’s not often you see somebody act like that. I’m not going to let that overshadow an otherwise wonderful Sunday. But it was certainly regrettable.”
How Wyndham Clark reacted to being asked about the photos from the US Open
Clark was asked about the photos following his opening round at Travelers Championship on Thursday. He produced a superb 64 as he looks to turn his season around.
And it seems that the 31-year-old has indeed confirmed that he caused the damage.
“I’ve had a lot of highs and lows in my career, especially this year some lows. I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I’m very sorry for what happened,” he said.
“But I’d also like to move on, not only for myself but for Oakmont, for the USGA, and kind of focus on the rest of this year and things that come up. I still want to try to make the Ryder Cup team. I still am on the outside looking in for the FedExCup. So I’m starting to move on and focus on those things.”
It is not the first incident Clark has apologised for at the majors this year. He also issued a statement after the PGA Championship after hurling his driver at the advertising boards behind one tee.
Ultimately, anyone criticising Clark particularly strongly should still keep in mind that no one on the outside will get a full understanding of what he may or may not be dealing with off the course.
However, Chamblee is surely right to suggest that action needs to be taken following incidents at the last two majors.
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