Obama’s ‘player-to-coach’ transition draws criticism from Clay Travis
Former President Barack Obama’s statement about transitioning from “player to coach” in the Democratic Party is drawing sharp criticism from OutKick founder Clay Travis. Sean Hannity and Travis discuss Obama’s unsuccessful endorsements of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Travis humorously suggests that Obama’s poor coaching strategy could make him a “double agent” working for the Republicans.
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Wyndham Clark entered the 2026 U.S. Open on Sunday with a six-shot lead and victory seemed almost inevitable until his wayward drive at the par-5 16th hole sailed into the thick fescue of Shinnecock Hills.
NBC on-course anchor Jim “Bones” Mackay described Clark’s lie in the tall grass as “horrible.” Others in the stand noted that Clark would be lucky to escape with a par on the hole. But the 32-year-old American somehow managed to move the ball nearly 180 yards and back into the fairway before hitting his third onto the green and then sinking the birdie putt that paved the way for his second US Open victory.
Wyndham Clark celebrates with caddy David Pelekoudas after winning the 126th US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. (Warren Petit/Getty Images)
Clark entered the final round six shots ahead of four players, and he was one of the heavy favorites to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament. For most of the weekend, fate seemed to be on his side. It seemed like every time Clark hit a bad shot, the next thing that followed was a commentator saying something like “he took a break with this one.” Clark led the tournament after every round, becoming the first wire-to-wire US Open winner since Martin Kaymer in 2014.
But he faced a major change in his luck on Sunday afternoon. Not only did his luck change, but so did the Long Island crowd. It was clear from the first hole that the gallery was rooting hard for Scottie Scheffler, Clark’s playing partner and one of four players who started the day six shots behind the leader.
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But it translated into active cheering against Clark, to the point where the NBC broadcast reported that at least two fans were kicked out of the venue for crossing the line with their taunts toward Clark. According to journalist Kevin Van Valkenburg, one of them was ejected for saying “Don’t choke, Wyndham” before Clark’s tee shot on No. 4.
Aside from the blowout offenses, the crowd roared for every good shot from Scheffler, but there was a noticeable groan when Clark made a good shot.
Wyndham Clark celebrates after sinking a putt during the final round of the 126th US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, NY on June 21, 2026. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
Unfortunately for Scheffler and the crowd following the group, the world number 1 didn’t have as much magic in his clubs on Sunday as Sam Burns. In attempting to become a career Grand Slam winner on his 30th birthday, Scheffler never really put much pressure on Clark. He made bogey on the first hole and shot a one-over 36 on the front nine before slogging his way to a one-over 71.
While most golf fans probably thought Scheffler would be the man to chase Clark down, it was Burns who emerged as Clark’s biggest threat after starting the day tied and seven shots behind Clark.
Not only did Burns shoot, but Clark struggled early. He made a bogey on the par-3 second hole, spoiled the course’s easiest hole, the par-5 fifth, for another bogey, then added a third dropped shot with a bogey on No. 7.
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With the momentum clearly gone and Burns charging, it would have been easy for Clark to wilt under the immense pressure. But he managed to steady the ship and reach par at No. 8 and No. 9 before ripping the driver of No. 10 right down the middle. The show questioned the club’s choice from the start, but Clark’s plan worked to perfection, ultimately making his first birdie of the day.
Clark made another bogey on No. 13 and Burns moved within one shot of the lead.
But two key moments took place throughout the sequence. Burns, who was several groups ahead of Clark, nearly made his birdie putt at the 18th. As the putt narrowly missed the right side of the cup, Burns fell to his knees. It was as if he knew he might be so close to winning the US Open. And he was.
Clark’s 24 1/2-foot birdie putt on the 16th cut his lead over Burns to two shots with two holes to play. In that moment, Clark could feel the trophy in his hands, and it’s a familiar feeling considering he won the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.
Wyndham Clark celebrates with his girlfriend Emily Tanner after winning the 126th US Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. (Warren Petit/Getty Images)
But his nerves showed on No. 17. Clark hit a conservative tee shot on the par-3, leaving himself a nearly 70-foot putt. His birdie effort was six feet short, and he followed that by pulling his par putt to the left to bring his lead back to one.
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All Clark had to do on the 72nd hole of the tournament was make par and he would become a two-time U.S. Open champion. And that’s exactly what he did, although it didn’t start out very well. Clark let his tee shot slip to the right and rounded the rough. He brought the ball to the green in two, but stood more than 50 feet away. Clark calmly stepped forward and perfectly delayed his putt to within a foot of the hole, tapped in for par and became a two-time major champion.
And, on Father’s Day, Clark’s father surprised him by taking a red-eye flight to New York so he could greet his son after the victory.
Perhaps more importantly, Clark became the first American to win a major in 2026 after Europeans Rory McIlroy and Aaron Rai won the Masters and PGA Championship, respectively.
This also means that the US Open trophy remains where it belongs.
