At US Open, Wyndham Clark proves he doesn't have to be perfect to be a winner

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Long before he smashed the locker, won a single trophy or had any inkling he'd play in a U.S. Open one day, golf for Wyndham Clark was a test of patience, will and temperament.

So, perhaps it's only right that for Clark to sew up his latest, sweetest triumph, he had to rescue himself from a potentially history making collapse — and do it in front of a New York crowd that, for the most part, came out to Long Island to watch him fail.

Clark's second U.S. Open victory will be remembered as the one where he handled Shinnecock Hills and somehow salvaged a final-round Sunday that saw a six-shot lead at the start dwindle to a single, precious stroke by the end.

It will also be remembered for the cheers when he missed shots, and for a winning, tap-in putt on the 18th green that was greeted with an awkward dribble of applause — a strange reaction, especially given the hills Clark has had to climb to become a champion,.

“We've dealt with his anger issues since he was that high," said Clark's father, Randall, explaining the journey as he held his hand about hip high. "It's because golf is not a game of perfection. And he wants to be perfect."

Clark, 32, was open about his struggles at his last U.S. Open victory in 2023, explaining his mother's death 10 years earlier had left a scar and that the rage came out most viscerally in the aftermath of missed golf shots.

His felt like a simple tale about overcoming obstacles and personal growth.

But that journey is never truly finished.

His demons came back into full view a year ago when he smashed a locker at Oakmont after missing the cut at the U.S. Open. He has since apologized and the suits at Oakmont, appalled at first, have moved on, as well.

The fans in New York clearly haven't. It made for an awkward stroll across the course Sunday, where Clark was paired with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler, trying to complete the career Grand Slam, likely would've been a fan favorite against anyone. No problem there, he said, but even he found himself cringing at the cheers ringing out when Clark missed shots, which happened a lot on a front nine in which he shot 38 and saw his lead shrink to one.

“You like seeing the fans cheer for you,” Scheffler said. “I think sometimes it can get a little too much when, you know, balls are kind of going off greens and you start hearing cheers. That felt a bit much to me.”

Clark's winning moment came on No. 16. Nursing the one-shot lead, he teed off into the deep fescue — a horrendous lie, according to caddie-turned-TV analyst Jim “Bones” Mackay. Clark made it look better than that, lashing into the fairway, then hitting an 8-iron that straightened out along the back of the green.

He nailed the 30-foot birdie putt — his longest make of the day — to give himself a two-shot lead over Sam Burns with two holes to play.

About a half-hour later, Clark two-putted from 50 feet on 18 to become a two-time winner instead of the player to blow the biggest 54-hole lead in U.S. Open history. The two-putt was reminiscent of the way he wrapped up his win three years ago at Los Angeles Country Club.

So much has changed since then.

“It’s been part of every question in every interview for the last 12 months," his dad said of the constant rehashing of the locker incident, all of which Clark has handled with patience. "I do think it's gone on too long.”

In response to Oakmont, Clark has paid for the repairs to the locker. He has given money to charity and participated in anger-management courses.

He did not feel much love on Long Island.

“A little disappointing,” said Randall Clark, who took a red-eye flight from Denver to be there for the win. “At the same time, he's a warrior. He 'bowed up and said ‘I’m going to figure this out and still get through.' It's too bad. We've seen this before in the New York area with the Ryder Cup."

But this was no Ryder Cup, the likes of which was marred by unruly behavior from the New York fans last year at Bethpage.

Clark conceded he heard it all and concluded, “man, they definitely don't want me to win.”

“It’s pretty rare in an open championship, or a major, to have fans kind of boo against your shots or cheer for bad shots,” he said.

All he could do, though, was turn to his caddie and laugh, especially when they heard from one of those rare fans who were actually pulling for him.

Now, the question is — will this show of grit in the face of adversity give Clark a fresh start? Or will it always be about the locker and some meltdown lurking around every corner?

“I sure hope it closes the door on it,” he said. "I figured in my mind that this would maybe be the last time just because it’s one year removed. I’ll probably always get (those questions). But I hope I don’t become the heel of the PGA.

“I guess if I am, any press is good press, right?”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Wyndham Clark celebrates with his caddie David Pelekoudas after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Wyndham Clark holds the trophy after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Wyndham Clark holds the trophy after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Wyndham Clark holds the trophy after winning the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Conservative political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella held a narrow lead Monday with almost all votes counted in Colombia’s polarized presidential runoff, as the ruling party’s progressive candidate vowed to challenge the results.

De la Espriella, a business owner and lawyer who earned U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for office, led with 49.7% of the votes over lawmaker Iván Cepeda, with 99.9% of results released by electoral authorities. Cepeda, ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, had 48.7%.

Election officials have not formally announced a winner.

A victory by de la Espriella is expected to usher in policies that will reverse Petro's agenda, including a contentious plan to hold parallel peace negotiations with illegal armed groups. Cepeda, Petro's protégé, had pledged to push forward that strategy and other social reforms if he won Sunday's vote.

The election was colored by people's fears of renewed internal conflict.

“I will govern for all Colombians," de la Espriella, nicknamed “The Tiger,” told thousands of supporters as he stood behind bulletproof glass in the northern city of Barranquilla on Sunday night. But his conciliatory tone changed as he spoke.

“Pack your bags and prepare to become the opposition,” he added. “Make no mistake, Mr. Cepeda. You already know how fiercely the tiger roars.”

Cepeda on Monday responded to de la Espriella's remarks, warning him against threats, veiled or otherwise.

“Let me be perfectly clear: We are half of this country in political terms, and we have a long history of resistance,” Cepeda said in the capital, Bogota. “We are very hardened. Don’t come threatening us. Neither your roars nor your screams frighten us.”

He asked supporters to remain calm and maintain “exemplary behavior.” Hours earlier, people in the western city of Cali took to the streets, damaging a public bus, several surveillance cameras and an ATM.

The vote count showed that the municipality that includes Cali favored Cepeda with nearly 60%. Authorities there said four police officers were injured in the protest and two demonstrators were arrested.

After the results became public Sunday, Cepeda characterized the count as “unofficial and non-binding” and announced that his team was challenging results from more than 30,000 voting stations. Petro also vowed to challenge the outcome.

No recount has flipped the results of a presidential election in Colombian history.

Sunday’s winner will begin a four-year term Aug. 7.

The candidates pitched voters widely different strategies to prevent the South American country from the nonstop violence, such as car bombs, kidnappings, disappearances and forced displacements, that Colombians lived with in previous decades.

De la Espriella, 47, promised a heavy-handed approach to crime-fighting, including drug trafficking. He also said he plans to end Petro’s attempts to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups — an effort that has largely failed — and build mega-prisons, emulating Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's aggressive policies. Those tactics have lowered homicide rates in the Central American country but have fueled accusations of human rights abuses.

De la Espriella holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship. He's a Trump supporter and a member of the Republican Party.

“He Won, BIG!” Trump said on social media.

Yolanda Hernández, who recycles trash for a living, voted for Petro in 2022 but cast her ballot for de la Espriella this time. While she acknowledged that Petro was unable to deliver on promises meant to help the poor because of congressional gridlock, she said Colombia cannot afford another four years under his vision for the country.

“We want change in Colombia because it’s always the same violence, always the same thing,” Hernández, 49, said. “(Petro) said he was going to lower the cost of services, that he was going to lower the price of food, and everything is more expensive.”

More than 426,000 voters chose a third, no-name option on the ballot meant to allow people to express dislike of both candidates. Another 29,000 voters cast blank ballots.

Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin American Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Sunday's result shows the country “has not shifted overwhelmingly or decisively” against Petro's project or for de la Espriella's outsider “iron fist showmanship.”

Freeman said the result also underscored Colombia's regional divisions.

“It’s regional, not just ideological, polarization; or rather, the two overlapping,” he said. “Ironically, de la Espriella's iron-fist message performed best in the core of the country, not the periphery, which bears the brunt of Colombia’s violence.”

Colombia’s illegal groups have more than 27,000 members.

Last year, authorities recorded 14,780 homicides, the most since at least 2015, driven by clashes among illegal armed groups. Among those killed was conservative presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Sen. Ivan Cepeda, presidential candidate with the ruling Historic Pact Coalition, gives a press conference the day after the presidential election runoff in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Sen. Ivan Cepeda, presidential candidate with the ruling Historic Pact Coalition, gives a press conference the day after the presidential election runoff in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Sen. Ivan Cepeda, presidential candidate with the ruling Historic Pact Coalition, arrives to give a press conference the day after the presidential election runoff in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement addresses supporters at a rally after runoff election results showed him leading in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition embraces his vice-presidential running mate, Aida Quilcue, during an election night appearance after election results showed him trailing in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

A voter marks his ballot in a classroom decorated with flags of countries participating in the World Cup serving as a polling station during the presidential runoff election in Santander de Quilichao, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)

A supporter of presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement light a flare at a celebration rally after polls closed in the runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement and his vice-presidential running mate, Jose Manuel Restrepo, ride in a bulletproof booth toward a celebration rally after election results showed him leading in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the opposition Defenders of the Motherland movement arrives to vote with his family during the runoff election in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)