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Wyndham Clark finds himself near the top of the leaderboard at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend as he battles for a win on the PGA Tour. Unfortunately, he also finds himself in the midst of controversy.
The golfer has been criticized by both fans and media for his course etiquette throughout the tournament, as well as a potential penalty that did not end up costing him.
Clark entered Sunday’s final round at -8, just one stroke off of the lead. Despite that strong play, he’s landed out of followers’ good graces.
Many have ripped him for his manners on the links, pointing directly to a brief outburst following a chip shot from the fairway on Saturday.
Clark not happy pic.twitter.com/n1EvuaTDX2
— PGA/LIV Hot Takes (@PGALIVHotTakes) March 9, 2024
You can see a frustrated Wyndham Clark taking a sizeable chunk out of that fairway in anger after that missed hit.
But while some of the on-course antics have peeved traditional golf fans, it was a potential penalty on that back nine that had most everyone watching up in arms.
Looking to find a way out of trouble on the 18th, Clark lined up a shot from the rough. A large portion of viewers believed he committed a penalty prior to taking that swing.
Did Wyndham Clark just improve his lie on the 18th? Sketchy activity from the co leader pic.twitter.com/8swqFLiOpb
— Brett Hoffman (@BrettHoffmanjr) March 9, 2024
While getting behind the ball with his club, there did appear to be some movement. Officials ultimately didn’t believe it to be enough to warrant punishment.
Per PGA Tour rule, the ball can “oscillate” so long as it moves back into place. Officials said that was the case on Saturday.
Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee didn’t agree.
“The ball clearly moved. He clearly didn’t ground the club lightly… I don’t need video to see this; I saw it live and I knew the ball moved. I think he should have been penalized.”
Many are on Chamblee’s side.
Clark thinks they got the call right, saying this after his round:
“I’m not cheating or anything like that or trying to improve my lie… Obviously, they zoom in, and it makes it look worse.”
Luckily for Clark, the ones enforcing the rules shared his viewpoint, keeping him that much closer to contention.