Wyndham Clark surprised by father after tumultuous US Open win that wasn’t one-man job: ‘What a warrior’

Help. Without it, Wyndham Clark would not have won the U.S. Open on Sunday [http://Help. Without it, Wyndham Clark would not have won the U.S. Open on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills on a day that, for hours, suggested he was going to blow the six-shot lead he took into the round. Without it, he wouldn’t have won the 2023 U.S. Open at L.A. Country Club. Without it, Clark might never have gotten over the death of his mother, Lise, to Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in August 2013, when he was a 19-year-old freshman at Oklahoma State, a tragedy that nearly pushed him to quit golf. Golf, at its core, is an individual sport. But it’s so much more than that for the modern athlete, who so often after achieving success thanks the “team.’’ The 32-year-old Clark’s team’ has evolved considerably over the past few years, and it has provided a powerful and pivotal boost to his career, which had sagged a bit. A vital member of Clark’s team made a surprise visit to Shinnecock on Sunday. His father, Randall, who almost never attends his tournaments, flew to Long Island from his home in Denver to surprise his son. After Wyndham Clark two-putted the 72nd hole for par to win by one shot over Sam Burns, he was blown away to see his dad waiting for him on 18. “He was like, ‘What are you doing here? This is so cool. Come here, let’s have a man hug,’ ’’ Randall Clark told The Post while standing greenside during the trophy ceremony. The father squeezed his son like he was never going to let go and said some things to him as they embraced. “I told him what a warrior he is,’’ Randall Clark said. “Look up resilient in the dictionary and you’ll see a picture of him. That’s who he is. He felt like he wasn’t only playing the golf course, he was basically playing against all the New York fans.’’ Help. Julie Elion became Clark’s mental coach a short time before he won that ’23 U.S. Open and remains an emotional rock for him to lean on in times of doubt. Elion told The Post that she and Clark, in a phone conversation Saturday night, devised “a plan’’ for what they thought was going to happen on Sunday, knowing the crowds were going to be heavily pulling for Scottie Scheffler, with whom he was paired and who was trying to complete the career Grand Slam. “We knew there were going to be confrontations out there, hecklers and haters,’’ Elion said. “Anytime he heard something, he had a plan to reframe it, not hear it, or go back to his own goals. The technique was to not take it personally. Turn it off.” Asked what Clark proved to himself by getting through Sunday, Elion said, “I think the self-doubt may be mostly gone now.’’ Help. David “Big Play Dave’’ Pelehoudas was hired as Clark’s caddie in March 2026 after Clark parted ways with his good friend John Ellis after nearly a decade. Since that hire, Clark has won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and now his second career U.S. Open. After going a good period without a swing coach (which is somewhat unconventional on the PGA Tour), Clark brought on Pat Coyner just before the start of this season, and he’s helped return Clark’s ball-striking to its peak levels. Michael Kanski is Clark’s putting coach. Kanski has him using a left-hand low putting grip. Clark won the tournament with his succession of one-putt par saves over the weekend. Rob Mougey, the brother of Jets general manager Darren (who came to Shinnecock with his kids to watch Sunday), is Clark’s agent and someone Clark refers to as a key confidant. Then there is LA-based model and social-media influencer Emily Tanner, Clark’s girlfriend, who made her public debut of sorts as his caddie at the Masters in April in the Par-3 Contest. “He’s in love,’’ Elion gushed to The Post. Sure, Clark had to hit all the shots Sunday — 73 of them to be exact — to get the job done. Sure, it was Clark who somehow made birdie on 16 after his tee shot landed in what NBC on-course reporter Jim “Bones’’ Mackay described as a “horrendously bad’’ lie in the fescue. “That putt he made on 16 and the fist pump was kind of an ‘I’m still here’ statement,’’ Randall said. “It was like, ‘I’m not going anywhere, I’m here. You guys get ready.’ ’’ Sure, it was Clark who kept his nerve to stave off Burns and Scheffler and his own doubts. But make no mistake: The help from all of the above-mentioned people in Clark’s life was a part of it — surely including his late mother, whose mantra to her son was to “play big’’ and use his platform as an athlete to inspire others. “It’s not just my win, it’s my team,’’ Clark said. “It’s John Ellis, who helped get me here, it’s ‘Big Wave,’ it’s my agent, it’s my swing coaches, my trainers, and then obviously my family.’’ Help. Clark got no help from the spectators, some of whom were a downright lowlife embarrassment, overtly rooting for shots that Clark hit to roll into bunkers and putts to lip out. On the fourth tee, fans chanted “Happy birthday’’ and “Happy Father’s Day’’ and “Hook ‘em, Scottie’’ to Scheffler. Then there was the zero who followed that by yelling, “Don’t choke, Wyndham,’’ as he was about to tee off, before being booted from the premises by security. “Man, they definitely didn’t want me to win,’’ Clark said. “Winning major championships is extremely difficult,’’ Scheffler said. “It’s hard to win these golf tournaments. Wyndham had some stones down the stretch.’’ Help. When it was all over Sunday, even the Clark detractors had to admire] at Shinnecock Hills on a day that, for hours, suggested he was going to blow the six-shot lead he took into the round. Without it, he wouldn’t have won the 2023 U.S. Open at L.A. Country Club. Without it, Clark might never have gotten over the death of his mother, Lise, to Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in August 2013, when he was a 19-year-old freshman at Oklahoma State, a tragedy that nearly pushed him to quit golf.