Wyndham Clark is once again at the center of a rules debate, and this time it happened on his way to a $3.6 million paycheck. Days after his BMW Championship win at the Bellerive Country Club, the two-time U.S. Open champion finally addressed the social media firestorm over how he handled his ball in the rough on the 14th hole Sunday. It marks the first time he has spoken publicly about the incident.
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“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… That lie was never bad. It was more just judging what it was. By no means did I take a bad lie and make it really good,” he said at a press conference ahead of the TOUR Championship.
The incident in question occurred on the par-4 14th, when Clark’s tee shot missed right into the rough. It left him 173 yards to a back-left pin. Cameras caught him placing multiple clubs in the thick rough/fescue, appearing to tamp down or pat the grass before taking a practice swing.
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.” Clark took a strong approach to 24 feet, missed the birdie putt, and settled for a par. What made this move controversial was that when Bryson DeChambeau did something similar at the 154th Open Championship, officials had given a two-stroke penalty for unintentionally improving the area of his intended swing. But Clark received no penalty on the hole.
Social media erupted. X users accused Clark of gaming 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.
Clark also gave examples of his experience “at the U.S. Open” and at “Bay Hill” to explain that he’s used to criticism. At Shinnecock Hills, a caddy’s video of Clark rehearsing a practice swing drew similar accusations online. Again 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.
Despite the harsh criticism, Clark is adamant about his performance, adding, “I didn’t do anything that was costing the integrity of the field.” His calmness in the constant jeering is a similar approach he took to Shinnecock Hills this year.
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. With his Player of the Year case strengthening, how he’s received there may be the actual test of whether this controversy sticks.