There is no excusing what Wyndham Clark did to two lockers in the Oakmont locker room during the U.S. Open, giving the metal lattice on the front of the cubicles a beating they didn’t deserve and, when pressed publicly about it, Clark offered a tepid “I’m very sorry for what happened” response before saying he would like to move on.
Note to Clark: When you do something like what you did at Oakmont, own it all the way, especially considering the temper tantrum that preceded it at the PGA Championship. Fall on the proverbial sword, grovel and accept what’s coming to you, which will include plenty of reminders from gallery members to keep your cool.
That said, we’ve all been there, hopefully not to the point of damaging someone else’s property, but golf can make you crazy.
Temper tantrums are part of golf’s lore, from Tommy Bolt to Woody Austin bending his putter by slamming it into his head.
Who among us can’t point to a scuff mark or worse on a club that wasn’t caused by a shot we hit but was instead the result of how we reacted to yet another bladed wedge over a green?
Cart paths come in handy when a disobedient driver needs to be reminded who the boss is and, whether true or apocryphal, stories of the tormented dragging their putter home while it is tied to the back of their car ring true.
A friend, whose golf soul is hopefully at peace now, took his time one day tossing his clubs one by one into a lake before heaving his golf bag in after them.
Temper tantrums are part of golf’s lore, from Tommy Bolt to Woody Austin bending his putter by slamming it into his head. Sergio García has a collection of temper-driven misdeeds as does John Daly, who favors complete surrender when golf gets the best of him.
There is even the story of Jack Nicholson having a case of road rage in the 1990s, prompting him to bash the offender’s windshield with a 2-iron. The way Nicholson told the story, he was on his way to the golf course when the incident happened and he was aware enough of what he was doing that he specifically chose the 2-iron because it was a club he rarely used.
It’s like the old adage that if you are going to throw a golf club, throw it forward so you don’t have to walk back to get it.
There should be an addendum to that: If you play with someone who tends to throw clubs, don’t play with that person again.
And leave the lockers alone.
Ron Green Jr.
E-MAIL RON
TOP: CHUCK SAVAGE, GETTY IMAGES