Golf Channel analyst Eamon Lynch made a pointed case Monday that Long Island should be stripped of future major championships, calling its fans "a stain on the game of golf" following the US Open at Shinnecock Hills. His comments came after patrons were ejected from the course on Sunday for heckling Wyndham Clark, who won his second US Open title at the event.
What Happened at Shinnecock Hills
Authorities removed spectators during Clark's final round after crowds directed targeted abuse at the tournament leader. Fans were heard shouting "Don't choke Wyndham" and "Get in the bunker" as Clark navigated the closing holes. Lynch's indictment was geographic, not broadly civic: he argued the problem is specific to Long Island, not New York golf at large. "It doesn't happen at Winged Foot, doesn't happen at Baltusrol on the other side of the Hudson River," Lynch said. "It happens on Long Island every single time."
A Pattern Lynch Says Is Predictable
Lynch characterized the behavior as too "repetitive" and "predictable" to justify continuing to award the island high-stakes tournaments. He described the offenders as "drunk crypto bros who buy a ticket with Daddy's credit card," adding that some had lived lives of privilege that left them unchecked when they spoke out of turn. The analyst's argument carries institutional weight given the next scheduled stop: the PGA of America has the PGA Championship set for Bethpage Black in 2033.
That course has its own recent record. At last year's Ryder Cup, Rory McIlroy and other members of Team Europe were subjected to sustained heckling. McIlroy stepped away from the ball mid-round to respond directly to one heckler. His wife, Erica Stoll, had a beer thrown at her while walking the course. "I don't think we should ever accept that in golf," McIlroy said at the time. "I think golf should be held to a higher standard."
The Augusta National Argument
Lynch's proposed remedy is the Augusta National model, which governs The Masters. "No phones, no tolerance, no second chance," he said, suggesting the sport as a whole might need to adopt those terms. Whether the governing bodies move in that direction before 2033 remains an open question — but Lynch's framing, that this is a venue problem requiring a structural solution rather than an isolated incident, gives the call-to-action institutional shape.
Clark's own conduct added texture to the week's story. He carries a history of club-throwing and was banned from Oakmont during the 2025 US Open after damaging two lockers in the clubhouse; he is no longer permitted on that property. Lynch's argument is not that Clark is without fault in his career, but that patron behavior at a major championship operates on a separate standard — one Long Island crowds, in his view, have failed to meet.