Paul McGinley slams ‘ridiculous’ Wyndham Clark after what happened on six in his singles match at the Presidents Cup

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While the US boasted a significant lead heading into the Sunday singles at the Presidents Cup, Jim Furyk will have made sure that he did all he could to remind his players not to take the Internationals lightly over the final 12 matches at Royal Montreal.

The Internationals had fought back from 5-0 down after the opening day to remarkably level things up on Friday. But USA were dominant on Saturday, ensuring that they went into the final day of the Presidents Cup with an 11-7 lead.

Of course, there were a few unsavoury moments on Saturday. One of those involved Wyndham Clark after Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele had beaten Tom Kim and Si-woo Kim. Clark was criticised by fans for mocking the pair after they lost, with the 2023 US Open champion mimicking what Si-woo Kim had done when he chipped in on 16.

Paul McGinley criticises Wyndham Clark during the singles at the Presidents Cup

While Kim perhaps opened himself up for criticism after they lost the match, Clark’s actions were slated given that he was one of only three players on the American side to have lost two games over the first three days.

Clark found himself in the middle order for the singles, with Min Woo Lee his opponent. Lee went ahead on the second hole, and he found himself in a good position on the sixth to go 2 up. In fact, the Australian found himself with two putts to win from inside 10 feet. Nevertheless, Clark decided to see one putt before conceding.

There was some controversy yesterday when Tom Kim expressed his frustration at being made to putt out from inside three feet against Cantlay and Schauffele. And speaking on Sky Sports (broadcast on 29/9; 19:47), Paul McGinley suggested that Clark was being petty after Kim’s actions the previous day.

“What’s going on here? That’s ridiculous, two putts from 10 feet, that’s all the reaction to yesterday,” he said.

A mixed week for the major champion

Clark did not always cover himself in glory throughout the week. While he played well on the opening day – making four birdies alongside Keegan Bradley – he and Tony Finau were thrashed on Friday. And Clark and Bradley were the only American pairing to lose on Saturday morning.

Seeing Lee’s first putt is not the worst crime by any means – weird things can happen when the pressure is on, and Lee had barely played all week. He did also give him his short putt for birdie on the final hole as their match ended in a tie. But perhaps it would have sent a more impressive message had Clark not given him the chance to three-putt early on, given how unlikely it was.