SouthernWorldwide.com – A Golf Channel analyst has strongly criticized Long Island golf fans, labeling them “a stain on the game” following incidents during the recent U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills.
Eamon Lynch, an analyst for the Golf Channel, expressed his dismay, suggesting that major golf championships should no longer be hosted on Long Island. He believes the behavior witnessed at Shinnecock Hills during the U.S. Open was unacceptable.
“Long Island golf fans are a stain on the game of golf,” Lynch stated during a broadcast on Monday, shortly after Wyndham Clark secured his second career U.S. Open victory.
Lynch further elaborated on his criticism of Long Island attendees at the event. He argued that they “do not deserve” the privilege of witnessing another major tournament at any of the area’s historic courses, including Bethpage Black, which previously hosted the Ryder Cup.
Clark was at the center of Lynch’s commentary. Reports indicated that authorities had to remove spectators from Shinnecock Hills on Sunday due to their heckling of the U.S. Open leader. Fans were overheard shouting phrases like “Don’t choke Wyndham” and “Get in the bunker” during his final round.
“This isn’t a New York problem,” Lynch emphasized. “It doesn’t happen at Winged Foot, doesn’t happen at Baltusrol on the other side of the Hudson River. It happens on Long Island every single time.”
Currently, the PGA of America has scheduled the PGA Championship to be held at Bethpage Black in 2033.
At that very course, Rory McIlroy and other members of Team Europe faced taunts and heckling that disrupted the Ryder Cup last summer. McIlroy was notably seen stepping back from his shot to engage with a heckler, while fellow player Shane Lowry also responded to the disruptive behavior.
Furthermore, during Team Europe’s victory celebration on American soil, McIlroy’s wife, Erica Stoll, had a beer thrown at her as she walked the course.
“I don’t think we should ever accept that in golf,” McIlroy commented at the time. “I think golf should be held to a higher standard than what was seen out there this week.”
While no similar incidents occurred during the four rounds of the U.S. Open this past week, Lynch maintains that Long Island golf fans have demonstrated a pattern of “repetitive” and “predictable” behavior that compromises the integrity of high-stakes tournaments.
“It’s the drunk crypto bros who buy a ticket with Daddy’s credit card,” Lynch remarked, adding that some fans have experienced such privilege that they have been “without ever being stopped for something they’ve said.”
Lynch suggested a potential solution, pointing to the model employed by Augusta National Golf Club for The Masters.
“Maybe golf in its entirety needs to take the August National model,” he proposed. “No phones, no tolerance, no second chance.”
At Shinnecock Hills, Clark, despite leading for much of the tournament, was perceived as a villain by some of the crowd. His history includes incidents like throwing clubs and being banned from Oakmont during the 2025 U.S. Open after damaging two lockers in the clubhouse out of frustration. He is no longer permitted on the premises.
However, regardless of Clark’s past actions on and off the course, the decorum expected of golf patrons, particularly at a major championship, is of utmost importance.
Lynch believes that fans in Long Island are not upholding these standards.
