Smylie Kaufman says what Wyndham Clark has been like behind the scenes whenever he has interacted with him

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It has certainly been a turbulent few months for Wyndham Clark on the golf course, with the 2023 US Open champion coming in for a lot of criticism.

An outstanding finish at The Open Championship allowed Wyndham Clark to end a difficult major championship season on a high. The 31-year-old finished tied for fourth at Royal Portrush after a brilliant final round.

Clark, however, is facing a real fight to make the Ryder Cup team for Bethpage. And he has done little to endear himself to fans with his actions at the PGA Championship and US Open.

Clark smashed a sign at Quail Hollow after launching his driver following a wayward tee shot. And shortly after the US Open, photos emerged showing the Oakmont locker room had been vandalised. There was a strong hint that Clark was the player who caused the damage after losing his temper as he missed the cut.

Smylie Kaufman comments on Wyndham Clark following Oakmont and The Open Championship

Brandel Chamblee called for Clark to be suspended for a significant period. Meanwhile, Clark did not help himself by waiting until he was asked by the media at Travelers Championship before commenting on the incident.

He did apologise, but mentioned that he hoped to move on from the incident as if it was his decision to consider the matter closed.

It was reported last week that Oakmont had suspended Clark from playing at their course until he had paid for the damages, made a charitable donation and attended some form of counselling.

Clark arguably gave a much better apology after his final round at Royal Portrush. And speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman expressed a lot of sympathy for Clark as he explained what he has always thought of him.

“Nobody likes to be not liked, that’s human nature with anybody. And anytime I’ve had an opportunity to deal with him, whether it’s on the golf course, from a personal level, whether it’s a media deal, he’s been nothing but gracious, kind and I’ve always been a huge fan of his,” he said.

“But it’s a competitive game. Expectations, of course, are high, not only for himself, but when you win a US Open and you’re on all these teams, you want to stay there. And when you’re not performing at the level you think you can, it’s frustrating. And of course, he’s had a tough run where these outbursts have become public, and it’s easy to laugh at the guy who obviously wants to succeed but isn’t quite doing it to that level. And that’s the day and age we live in right now, where it’s easy to pick on the guy who’s struggling, because nobody knows what it feels like, but only a few people. Wyndham is one of the most incredible golfers in the world, and that’s the thing, he is that good. But that’s the problem with just general society that it’s easy to pick on the guy.

“I’m really happy to see that he had a good week here at The Open Championship because I know it can’t be easy to go through what he’s going through. I don’t condone what’s happened, I think the club’s got to stay in his hands at Quail Hollow. I think that he doesn’t need to do that in the locker room at Oakmont. Of course, we all can genuinely say that that’s not the right thing to do. And he wants most likely to be a role model for a lot of kids, so that’s something that he knows he needs to work on. I’m sure this was a big wake-up call for him. Surely, things could have been handled a little bit differently to where this didn’t get public, but I was happy to see that he had a good week.”

Where Wyndham Clark sits in the Ryder Cup qualification standings after Royal Portrush

His superb week at the final major of the year could be absolutely crucial for Clark given the events still to come before the season concludes.

He went into The Open Championship 78th in the FedEx Cup standings and 22nd in the qualification rankings for the Ryder Cup.

Clark is now up to 51st in the FedEx Cup, which should ensure that he reaches the playoffs. Meanwhile, he is now 16th in the Ryder Cup standings.

Qualifying for Bethpage automatically is surely beyond Clark now. However, momentum is going to be so important for Keegan Bradley as he completes the rest of his team.

If The Open is a sign of what is to come from Clark, he will definitely have that momentum he needs to potentially earn a ticket to Bethpage.