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Wyndham Clark has been in the spotlight several times for rules controversies over the past two weeks. That's why he reflected on it, and among his opinions is that the rules of golf should be "a little simpler and more user-friendly."
Clark attracted particular attention from fans during the Arnold Palmer Invitational, due to a play in which he appeared to have moved his ball by touching it with his club. Subsequently, Wyndham Clark gave an interview to Fox News to discuss the issue, and offered his opinions not only about the situation itself, but about the rules in a general sense.
Wyndham Clark advocated for making the rules simpler. This was part of what he said:
"There are some things where I’m like, ‘Can we dumb it down on the rules and not make it so complicated and make it a little simpler and more user-friendly?’ It’s second nature for [tour pros], so I don’t think about it as much, but when I get into social golf with buddies, and they’re asking questions, and they don’t understand, I’m like, ‘You’re right, it is really complicated and probably should be easier and simpler.’”
On the controversial play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Clark had this to say:
"It is unfortunate, because I had no ill intent to try to cheat or improve my lie. I didn’t even know anything had happened until I got into the scoring tent, and that’s when they showed me."
"You see the video, and you’re like, ‘Oh man, that doesn’t look great.’ But I’ve never tried to cheat in the game of golf, and hopefully people don’t think of me that way. I just think the camera was zoomed in and made it look worse than it really was."
What do the rules say about Wyndham Clark's play at the Arnold Palmer Invitational?
Wyndham Clark's play that generated controversy at the Arnold Palmer Invitational occurred on the 18th hole of the third round. As he prepared to hit his second shot from the rough, Clark brought his club close to the ball and, sure enough, touched it.
Controversy arose among fans and the media, debating whether or not the ball had moved. The images broadcast on television and posted all over social media show the ball moving in contact with the club, but this does not mean that the ball "moved" for the purposes of golf.
The rules of the sport as adopted by the United States Golf Association (USGA) state that the ball is considered to have "moved" when it leaves the position in which it originally rested. If the ball only shakes, but does not leave its position, there is no violation of the rule.
This was exactly what the rule officials determined after reviewing the video. It is good to say that both Clark and Scottie Scheffler participated in the review, and both players agreed with the judges' criteria.
