The best golfers have short memories. The worst golf fans don’t. Matt Fitzpatrick discovered it last week at Shinnecock Hills.
Paired with Wyndham Clarke in the third round of US OpenFitzpatrick was struck by the volume and intensity of the spectator abuse was thrown in the direction of the eventual winner of the tournament.
Fitzpatrick is not naive. He knows Clark has done himself no favors with various displays of misconduct, none more notorious than his locker-busting outburst after missing the cut at last year’s US Open.
“I’m not condoning what he did at Oakmont,” Fitzpatrick told GOLF’s Subpar podcast this week. “It really wasn’t the smartest thing to do.”
However, he thought the anger would die down.
“Part of me thought, give it two to three months and everyone will forget about it and you’ll never hear about it again,” Fitzpatrick said.
He was wrong. Apparently fans have long memories.
“Since you’ve been there, can you remember a time when the fans were as hard on a guy throughout the event as they were on Wyndham Clark this week?” podcast co-host Drew Stoltz asked.
Fitzpatrick said he did not. And called it “unfair”.
As a veteran of four Ryder Cups, Fitzpatrick has, of course, heard the rumblings before. He has also encountered it in kicking competitions. Facing Scottie Scheffler down the stretch at the RBC Heritage in April, Fitzpatrick triumphed in the face of fans barking at his ball to enter the bunker. But the scene in Shinnecock, he said, was different.
“Having an American fan base against an American player is weird,” Fitzpatrick said.
No matter the format, Fitzpatrick noted, the best way to deal with the haters is to put on blinders — not to mention earplugs — and play your best. On that front, he said, Clark impressed him with his shooting and his demeanor.
“The guy is leading the inning, making shots, doing what he’s supposed to do,” Fitzpatrick said. “Every time on Saturday, he was flawless.”
The next afternoon, after hoisting the trophy, Clark said he hoped he had won over some fans. Maybe he has. For now, he has Fitzpatrick in his camp.
“I spent some time with Wyndham,” Fitzpatrick said. “I really like him. I think he’s a good guy.”
You can listen to the whole episode here or watch it on YouTube below.
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