During the third round at Pinehurst No. 2, Wyndham Clark, the reigning US Open champion, incurred the wrath of certain golf enthusiasts.
In the third round of the US Open, Wyndham Clark was all over the rules.
After viewing video of the American on Saturday at Pinehurst No. 2, some golf enthusiasts came to that conclusion.
Clark was playing his fourth shot into the par-5 tenth hole when the incident occurred.
The previous champion Clark had to make a risky chip up the green, knowing that the greens were rolling so quickly that a mistake would send the ball sailing back to his feet.
Sadly for Clark, that is precisely what took place.
However, what really made waves were his actions after making his shot.
Frustrated, Clark swiped at the ground, but then, just as quickly, he patted down the turf where he had just played.
Some golfers on X believed he was attempting to correct his lie in case the ball returned to its original position.
With his next stroke, Clark chose to use his putter and finished with a bogey six.
With 18 holes remaining, the 30-year-old is five over for the championship after signing for a third round score of 71.
Judge for yourself and take a look at the clip here:
Why does @Wyndham_Clark always have a cheating controversy when it comes to improving his lies @usopengolf @PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/Vor5E20M57
— Hollywood99.eth (@RussNormandin) June 15, 2024
Another X user commented, “This guy is doing it wrong.”
“He consistently demonstrates his lack of integrity with plays like this. Golf is a game of integrity.”
“Blatant cheating and rules violation,” another person said.
Some thought that this was a “monster reach.”
“Just move one, nothing to see here,” someone wrote in support of Clark.
“I’ve never attempted to deceive”
This season, Clark has been accused of breaking the rules more than once.
The third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill produced one of the year’s most talked-about moments.
When Clark addressed his second shot from the thick rough on the 18th hole, it infuriated the armchair referees.
Clark was captured on camera tapping his club behind the ball.
Some believed he improved his lie by moving the ball.
After reviewing the footage, tournament officials declared he had done nothing improper.
Clark afterwards fiercely defended himself in a Fox News interview.
He had previously stated, “It is unfortunate, because I had no ill intent to try to cheat or improve my lie.”
“They showed me when I entered the scoring tent; before then, I had no idea anything had happened.
“When you watch the video, your first thought is, ‘Oh my goodness, that looks awful.'”
However, I’ve never attempted to cheat when playing golf, so hopefully that doesn’t come across as negative.
“I believe that it appeared worse than it actually was because the camera was zoomed in.”
