‘Darth Vader had more fun’: Wyndham Clark embraces villain role after BMW Championship win

ST. LOUIS – Wyndham Clark was not the fan favorite this week at Bellerive Country Club. Nor was he the crowd’s choice at Shinnecock Hills two months ago at the U.S. Open.

Whether it was the big leads he took into both, the fact that the chasers in the tournaments were Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the betting implications, or the residual negative feelings toward Clark’s past behavior, Clark has emerged from each as the villain.

He’s also been victorious in both.

Clark said it best earlier this week: “Darth Vader had more fun.”

Oh, Clark's been having plenty of fun. The two-time major winner grabbed his third victory of the year at this week’s BMW Championship. He salted away a five-shot lead but regained it when it mattered most, birdieing the last three holes to snatch the lead back from McIlroy and assert himself in the Player of the Year race again.

The win is Clark’s sixth of his career, and as best as he can recall, he has felt like the underdog in each. There was the time Clark beat out Xander Schauffele at Quail Hollow, and the U.S. Open he snatched from McIlroy and Rickie Fowler. Even Clark’s 2024 Pebble Beach win came with some baggage when it ended after 54 holes due to weather.

He’s getting used to the feeling of being the underdog.

“They still treated me great,” Clark said of the St. Louis crowd, while acknowledging that some of his poor shots received cheers on Sunday. “I just think, I mean, Rory's earned the right to be a fan favorite. So, you know, I embraced it.”

Clark went through worse at the U.S. Open in June. The Long Island crowd was noticeably against the former champion, rooting for Clark’s six-shot lead to dwindle. There, Scottie Scheffler was chasing the career Grand Slam, too.

“Anytime someone said something negative to me, I replaced it with something positive,” Clark said after the U.S. Open. “You know, some of it's self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself, but I also get it, too.”

Clark was referring to the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, when he smashed two lockers, frustrated after missing the cut. He apologized multiple times afterward, but his actions have stuck with people. Clark hoped to change that perception, and recent wins are starting to patch that relationship back together.

Clark will also be part of the Presidents Cup U.S. Team on home turf at Medinah. He locked in an automatic qualification spot with the victory. He expects support there.

“If I don't get love at the Presidents Cup, as a USA guy, then I don't know, I might move to Mexico or something,” Clark said, laughing.

It could be a good thing. Clark is developing quite the track record of delivering when everyone is against him.