NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
One analyst has a bone to pick with a specific region of golf fans after the US Open at Shinnecock Hills this past week.
Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch believes a golf major should never come across Long Island, New York again after seeing what unfolded on one of the country’s great courses at Shinnecock Hills during the US Open.
“Long Island golf fans are a stain on the game of golf,” Lynch said during a segment Monday following Wyndham Clark’s second career US Open victory.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Golf Channel commentator Eamon Lynch looks on during the second round of the 125th US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., on June 13, 2025. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Lynch continued to unload on the Long Islanders who attended the event, saying they “don’t deserve” to see another major at any of its major courses, including Bethpage Black, which hosted last year’s Ryder Cup.
Clark was at the center of Lynch’s argument when authorities had to kick out patrons at Shinnecock Hills on Sunday after heckled the US Open manager. Fans were heard screaming, “Don’t choke Wyndham,” as well as “Get in the bunker” during his final round.
“This is not a New York issue,” Lynch added. “It doesn’t happen at Winged Foot, it doesn’t happen at Baltusrol across the Hudson River. It happens on Long Island every single time.”
NEW YORK GOLF FANS DESERVE TO BE CALLED OUT, SAM BURNS HAS GOOD ADVICE, WYNDHAM CLARK’S BEST SHOT AT SHINNECOCK
Right now, the PGA of America PGA Championship is set for Bethpage Black in 2033.
On that very course, Rory McIlroy and other members of Team Europe were the subject of jeers and jeers that got in the way of the Ryder Cup last summer. McIlroy was even seen stepping back from the ball to argue back at one of the fairies, while others, including his friend Shane Lowry, were also quick to respond.
Then, during Team Europe’s winning run on American soil, McIlroy’s wife, Erica Stoll, had a beer thrown at her as she walked onto the course.
Rory McIlroy speaks with Golfweek journalist Eamon Lynch during the pro-am prior to the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course in Orlando, Fla., on March 1, 2023. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” McIlroy said at the time. “I think golf needs to be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week.”
Although nothing of the sort was seen during the four rounds of the US Open this past week, Lynch still believes Long Island golf fans have been too “repetitive” and “predictable” to allow high-stakes tournaments to be played there in the future.
“It’s the drunk crypto bros buying a ticket with Daddy’s credit card,” Lynch said, even adding that some of the fans have been privileged in their lives to the point where they’ve been “without ever being stopped for anything they’ve said.”
Is there a solution? Lynch believes Augusta National Golf Club has the right fit for The Masters.
“Maybe golf as a whole needs to take the August National model,” he said. “No phones, no tolerance, no second chance.”
Shinnecock Hills saw Clark become a bit of a villain in the crowd despite leading the pack throughout the tournament. He has a history of throwing clubs and was notoriously banned from Oakmont during the 2025 US Open after damaging two lockers inside the clubhouse in frustration. He is no longer allowed on the property.
Wyndham Clark celebrates with his girlfriend Emily Tanner after winning the final round of the 126th US Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, NY on June 21, 2026. (Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
But despite Clark’s misdeeds on and off the course, the decorum of being a golf patron, especially at a major championship, is paramount.
Lynch feels that those on Long Island are not following suit.
