"That's Not Who I Am"

Wyndham Clark pulled off an impressive win on Sunday at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club to win his second U.S. Open. He led wire-to-wire, the first U.S. Open winner to do so since 2014.

Not only did he overcome the tough course, as one of only three guys under par, but the story of the tournament was how the crowd in New York adamantly rooted against Clark all weekend long.

We know golf fans root for their favorite players and will traditionally give a golf clap to any guy out there, especially the one leading, but the crowd this weekend was hostile and very much against Clark.

The only time he was cheered was when he missed, as he also heard boos, jeers, and heckling along the way to his major victory. Some spectators were ejected for what they yelled at him, and throughout the tournament, the fans wanted him to hear that nobody liked him and make it clear they were rooting for him to lose and fail.

Clark said, "It's pretty rare to have fans cheer for bad shots. That was tough. But some of it is self-deserved. I kind of brought it on myself...I did some things last year I really regret. I'm sorry."

Basically, over the years, fans have developed a dislike for him for various reasons, while most of the passionate disdain stems from what happened at last year's U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

In anger and frustration after missing the cut, he kicked in two 121-year-old lockers. People didn’t appreciate his disrespectful behavior or his hot temper, which damaged the locker room.

Clark did what he could to make things right since then, but fans continue to hold it against him. After the second round on Friday, he commented, “I’ve gotten a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so. The thing that’s unfortunate is that’s not who I am, what happened last year. I’m hoping I can win back the fans that I had or some new fans because it was a terrible incident. You know, I really feel like I can show people that I’m fun and outgoing, I’m fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment.” 

The reality is, those fans don’t even know him, yet they are telling him who he is: “You’re a loser, you’re an angry person, you don’t deserve to win, you’ll never be as good as Scottie Scheffler.”

Wyndham Clark is a two-time U.S. Open champion, one of the top ten golfers in the world right now, and a five-time winner on the PGA Tour. Outsiders also consider him to be someone with a bad temper, unlikable, and not worthy of the crowd’s cheers. (BTW, who does the crowd think they are?)

So Clark has a choice about which identity he believes is true about himself. Like he said, “That’s not who I am, what happened last year…I’m fun, outgoing, fierce, competitive.”

Is he going to listen to the negativity from the crowd that is trying to define him by his flaws or mistakes...or is he going to lean into the amazing golfer he is and, according to those who know him as the likable and respected person he is?

Theathletic.com has a headline that reads, “No One at the U.S. Open was Rooting for Wyndham Clark, Except Those Who Know Him the Best,” and in the article, friends and family describe who he really is and the admirable qualities that define him.

I also read in an article on ESPN.com the comments his dad (the one taking the picture above), Randall Clark, made after his son’s big win on Father’s Day, and it reveals how he sees his son: "That was amazing. If you look up resilience in the dictionary, you see his name. He was a warrior. I'm just really proud of his resilience and his fight. He didn't play his best, but he figured it out."

Most of us today can't imagine the pressure of playing in a Major in front of a crowd actively rooting against us, yelling things to tear us down, and reminding us of our past failures.

However, as followers of Jesus, we do know that Satan, the enemy, is actively and adamantly rooting against us. He has his own tactics for attacking our identity and making us question who we are. He loves to remind us of our past sins and current flaws, causing us to wallow in shame and become paralyzed by regret. 

Thankfully, we serve a God who loves us and knows who we really are. Even in our brokenness and our sinfulness, He meets us with love and grace. Not based on anything we’ve done, but by faith, He has made us new and alive in Christ, and our true identity is secure in Him. We are not defined by our worst day. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Romans 6:11 (AMP) says, “Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.”

Listening to His voice and knowing His Word reminds us of our true identity. We can’t let the crowd define our identity or buy into the lies the enemy is telling about us, but we must believe in and lean into who God says we are.

Because of what Jesus did for us, we are God’s children, His friends, fellow heirs with Christ. We are enough, we are strong, we are transformed, redeemed, and His vessels. 

John 1:12 (AMP) explains, "But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—”

Ephesians 4:24 (NLT) implores us to “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

When the world tells us "You’re a loser, you’re an angry person, you don’t deserve to win, you’ll never be as good as Scottie Scheffler” or "You’re not enough, you’re a failure, you’re an addict, and you’re not lovable," we must combat the nonsense with the truth of how our heavenly Father sees us, who He is helping us to become, and who He enables us to be. 

It’s awesome how Wyndham’s dad saw his son as a warrior on Sunday, not a hot-tempered loser, and it’s a beautiful reminder of how, even more profoundly, God sees us. He views us through the lens of Christ being in us. 

Colossians 1:21-23 (NLT) tells us, “This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. "As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News…”

Galatians 2:20 (NIV) reminds us, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Sure, Clark heard the jeers and the boos, but he walked off that course victorious, knowing who he truly is, a U.S. Open winner. (Ultimately, hopefully, he also knows his career isn’t his true identity.)

Today, when the lies and boos come, and the enemy is rooting for us to lose, let's cling to the truth of who Jesus is, what He’s done for us, and what our true identity is because our faith is in Him. 

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, remind me of who I truly am. Thank you for sending Jesus to save me, transform me, and give me a new identity. I am not who I used to be, and You are changing me more and more each day to become like Jesus. Thank you for your patience and grace, and for my true identity as a child of Yours. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.