The Arnold Palmer is not even two rounds old and we already have a major controversy before the cut has even been decided, this time, involving Wyndham Clark.
The opening round had gone off without a hitch but things turned sour in round two as Clark launched a 300 yard drive down the third.
Getting to his ball, Clark then seemed to take it upon himself to give free relief after believing his ball had plugged in its own lie after landing on the soft fairways of Bay Hill.
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However, the footage was not clear cut and as always with these sorts of rulings, it’s caused quite the outrage on social media after Clark was eventually found to be in the clear and not penalised.
Golf fans fuming at Wyndham Clark decision during round two of the Arnold Palmer Invitational
The argument around getting relief from divots is as old as time in golf and there are those that are for and those that are against it.
The current rulings do allow for relief to be taken if a ball is plugged from a previous shot. However, with it not being certain that was the case, fans have quickly slammed both Clark and the PGA Tour for making a mockery of things.
One fan labelled the whole situation as ‘ridiculous’, while another went as far as to brand Clark a cheat, and mentioned Patrick Reed in doing so, who’s had his fair share of incidents.
Another joined a similar bandwagon, bringing up Reed and slamming Clark.
“This type of stuff used to only be Patrick Reed but Wyndham has taking over as the number one cheater on tour”
While another fan followed suit.
“It’s a stupid rule that you don’t get relief from this or divots. But it’s the rule and Clark is a cheat. Remember the crazy rough shot on 18 last year where he basically teed up his ball?“
Continuing the trend, another fan made reference to Clark and an incident at Pebble Beach in 2024.
“Seems like every year with this guy. Remember Pebble last year, US Open the year before?”
However, it wasn’t all a case of piling in on Clark, as one fan did call out apparent cheating, but suggested the rules were dumb.
“That’s cheating. I mean the rules may be dumb but those are the rules.”
Still, Clark got more sympathy from some others, as the rules got the brunt of one fan’s argument.
“I hope he’s not penalized for this, it’s a ridiculous rule and he had no intent.”
While another had the same opinion, labelling the who charade as a bit over the top and calling for more technology to help.
“Either make every possible rule infraction reviewable like other pro sports (the technology is available) or let them execute within the rules as golfer have for centuries. I think the former is the way to go so dumb penalties and incorrect scorecards are a thing of the past.”
What the PGA Tour said about Wyndham Clark’s ruling
With the PGA Tour coming under fire for a number of things this year already, they’ve been quick in getting a response out about the Wyndham Clark issue.
Taking to X, the TOUR confirmed why the ruling was offered.
“After reviewing ShotLink video of Wyndham Clark’s tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the PGA TOUR Rules Committee determined that the ball returned to its own pitch mark, which entitled Clark to free relief.”
Still, if Clark ends up winning by a shot or two, this situation will be replayed over and over and it could, in the end, be crucial.
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