Wyndham Clark can’t catch a break. He won the U.S. Open in a hostile atmosphere where spectators cheered for his bad shots. A month later, when Bryson DeChambeau was penalized for trampling the fescue at The Open, fingers were once again pointed at Clark for allegedly doing the same thing at the U.S. Open. And getting away with it. Now he has won the BMW Championship, and like clockwork, Clark got called out for improving his lie at Bellerive Country Club. Here is a full breakdown of what happened and why Wyndham Clark wasn’t pleased with how his name was dragged through the mud.

Why did Wyndham Clark face backlash in the first place?

The incident occurred on the par-4 14th during the final round. Clark’s tee shot missed right and landed in deep rough. It left him 173 yards to a back-left pin. While assessing and taking practice swings, viewers noticed Clark placed his clubs multiple times behind the ball. He first picked an 8-iron and placed it lightly on the grass behind his ball.

Then he stepped to the left of his lie, took a few practice swings, came back, and placed his club again. However, Clark wasn’t confident, so he stepped back and swapped the 8-iron for a 9-iron. The same process followed.

After taking a few practice swings, Clark went back to his 8-iron and placed it behind the ball a few times before hitting the shot. All in all, his clubhead touched the grass around his lie at least eight times, and that raised serious questions. In fact, broadcasters were skeptical too.

CBS analyst Trevor Immelmann flagged it live during the broadcast, noting it was “like the third club he’s placed down behind the ball there,” making fellow analyst Frank Nobilo remark, “So the lie might be better.”

And it blew up.

Wyndham Clark’s integrity was called into question

The video made it to social media, and some users posted a slow-motion clip while zooming in on the grass. Apparently, the grass behind his ball was mowed slightly, thereby making it easy for him to make clean contact. Clark was tied with Rory McIlroy for the lead at that point, and he went on to save par.

Analysts and fans on social media accused Clark of bending the rules, questioning why officials didn’t hand him a penalty. Some even called it a pattern of pushing boundaries rather than a one-off incident and questioned his integrity. It didn’t please Wyndham Clark.

Days after his BMW Championship win at Bellerive Country Club, the two-time U.S. Open champion finally addressed the social media firestorm, and he threw a subtle jab at those who were criticizing him.

“People can think what they want”: Wyndham Clark

“I know the shot that you’re talking about. I think any player, when they’re trying to judge a lie, takes out different clubs to see what it feels like. I never fully put the club down behind it. I don’t think any of it. When the cameras are on you, they’re going to find anything,” Clark said from East Lake before expanding on the matter.

The two-time U.S. Open winner explained that the lie was not that bad. He totally quashed the idea that he improved his lie by grounding his club. Then Clark brought in the DeChambeau situation and a few of the past instances where he was the victim.

“I think you saw that in Bryson’s case. It happened to me at the U.S. Open, it happened to me at Bay Hill [Arnold Palmer Invitational]. It’s happened to a lot of guys where they can see stuff that maybe looks like something that maybe it’s not. People can think what they want. I know I didn’t do anything that was costing the integrity of the field. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

What made it more controversial was Bryson DeChambeau’s two-stroke penalty for unintentionally improving the area of his intended swing. But Clark received no penalty on the hole, despite some eagle-eyed fans being convinced it called for rule 8.1a. Similar accusations were made against him before as well.

At Shinnecock Hills, a caddy’s video of Clark rehearsing a practice swing drew similar accusations online. In fact, noted golf writer, Kyle Porter joked that if rules officials were as strict with Clark as they were with DeChambeau, Clark would’ve shot 1,000 over par

Before that, in 2024 at Bay Hill, footage appeared to show his ball shift slightly on the course. Officials didn’t penalize him in either case, though the moments have shadowed his reputation.

Through it all, Clark closed his round with three straight birdies to seal a three-shot win, locking up a Presidents Cup spot on home soil in Medinah. As his Player of the Year case strengthens, how he’s received there may be the actual test of whether this controversy sticks.