“I feel awful about what transpired. After shooting 65 in the final round and tying for fourth place in the British Open, Clark declared, “I’m doing everything I can to try to fix the situation.” “Myself, Oakmont, and the USGA are attempting to keep it confidential…. I’m hoping there won’t be any animosity toward Oakmont or me as we move on from this.”
Clark has had a difficult year; when he opened with a 76 at Royal Portrush, he was about to miss a second consecutive cut in a major. He came back with rounds of 66-66-65 to record his highest major result since winning the U.S. Open in 2023.
Additionally, following a bad tee shot that broke a sign and almost struck a volunteer at the PGA Championship, he flung a club.
In 23 and 24, Clark stated, “I’ve been fairly open about my mental shift and change to get better.” Then, after a difficult year filled with expectations and general dissatisfaction, I made two foolish decisions.
But it did wake me up and help me become the person I want to be and the person I know I am, he said. I sincerely hope that those incidents don’t affect me since I don’t believe they represent who I am, and they won’t occur in the future.
In 2033, when Clark’s exemption for winning expires, the U.S. Open will return to Oakmont. Clark responded, “I don’t know,” when asked if he anticipated being present. It is up to them. Hopefully so. Both the course and the location are excellent. I sincerely apologize for the terrible act I committed.
I’m hoping they’ll be able to forgive me and allow me to play there again in the future.
In the letter, which Golf Digest was able to receive, Lynch stated that Clark would need to pay for any damages, donate significantly to a charity of the Oakmont board’s choosing, and finish an anger management course before he could be reinstated.
It should go without saying that the damages must be paid. According to Clark, that was a given. I want to give back to the community because I injured a fantastic place in Pittsburgh, so I wanted to do everything in my power to show them that what happened there was not a reflection of who I am and would not happen again. Of course, I apologized for everything that happened.
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