U.S. Open Crowds Thin Late at Shinnecock as 4-Hour LIRR Trip Drives Fans Out

Q: With a six-shot lead on a silent course, is Wyndham Clark's biggest challenge now the eerie quiet?

Yes. With a six-shot lead, Clark’s biggest threat may be less the leaderboard than the mental challenge created by a flat, quiet finish. The evidence points that way. Clark himself said the lack of energy was “unfortunate” and admitted it made it harder to stay locked in as fans streamed out and “it seemed like the tournament was over.” He linked that lapse in sharpness to “two poor bogeys coming in.” For a player who says he feeds off crowd reaction, a muted course can remove a source of adrenaline and rhythm at exactly the moment when concentration matters most. That does not mean the atmosphere outweighs the golf. History still strongly favors Clark. He is the 22nd player to take a lead of six shots or more into the final round of a major, and 20 of the previous 21 converted. Only Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters lost such an advantage. Clark also has major-winning experience, having already won the 2023 U.S. Open. The real issue is how the silence changes the psychology of closing. Sports-psychology principles suggest a big lead can create “interference” — protecting the lead, thinking about the trophy, or losing present-shot focus. On a lively course, crowd energy can keep a player engaged. On a subdued one, overthinking can creep in. So the quiet is a genuine challenge, but not an overwhelming one. If Clark manages his focus and treats Sunday as a shot-by-shot task, his lead remains the far bigger story than the silence.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 21

Sparse galleries surrounded Wyndham Clark’s third-round finish despite his six-shot lead through 54 holes, leaving the closing stretch at Shinnecock Hills with little atmosphere.
A more than four-hour Long Island Rail Road round trip from New York City pushed many spectators to leave early, with fans needing the 6:07 p.m. train to reach Grand Central or Penn Station before 9 p.m.
The last train from Shinnecock departed at 9:30 p.m. but did not reach Grand Central until after midnight, limiting late-stay options even though the LIRR added extra service for tournament week.
Clark called the flat finish "unfortunate" and said he hoped for bigger crowds on Sunday, while the scene highlighted how Shinnecock’s remote Long Island location can undercut a major championship’s closing drama.