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Wyndham Clark finished second at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational with a score of 10 under, five strokes behind Scottie Scheffler. However, Clark not only made headlines for his great performance but for one of the most controversial plays of the tournament.
It occurred while Wyndham Clark was playing the par-4 439-yard 18th hole during the third round. His drive went 297 yards and ended up in the right rough. The grass in this part of the course is quite thick, so the ball was lying almost two inches into the rough.
It was then that Wyndham Clark touched the ball with his wedge in preparation for his second shot. The club definitely made contact and this caused immediate controversy among fans. After this, a few accusations of "cheating" started circulating on social media.
According to Wyndham Clark himself, (via Eurosport journalist Espen Blak on his X account) at the end of the round the officials reviewed the video of the play with him and Scottie Scheffler and together they determined that there was nothing wrong with the play. Clark bogeyed the hole and his score remained unchanged.
What really happened? Let's dive into it.
What the rule says about Wyndham Clark's play
To understand what happened to Wyndham Clark on the 18th hole of the third round of the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, it is important to know the rules of golf that apply to the tournament. In this case, the rules are approved by the United States Golf Association (USGA).
One of the basic principles of golf is that the ball must be played "as it lies." However, the different situations that can arise in a round have led to the subject being regulated in great detail.
Rule 9.1 states that a ball at rest on the course must be played as it lies, except when the rules themselves require or permit the player to do otherwise. In Clark's case, no exception was present, so the ball should have been played as he found it.
Did he? The matter is complicated when his club touches the ball. This led many fans to the mistaken belief that the ball had been moved. Chapter XI of the Rules (Definitions), states that a 'moved ball' is defined as follows:
"When a ball at rest has left its original spot and come to rest on any other spot, and this can be seen by the naked eye (whether or not anyone actually sees it do so). This applies whether the ball has gone up, down or horizontally in any direction away from its original spot."
The definition itself makes a clarification that is crucial to understanding Clark's case:
"If the ball only wobbles (sometimes referred to as oscillating) and stays on or returns to its original spot, the ball has not moved."
What was determined by the judges, with the participation of Clark himself and also Scheffler, was precisely the latter. That is, the ball oscillated, but did not change its position out of its original spot. For this reason, the play was declared legal.
Had it been determined that Wyndham Clark had moved the ball, he would have been assessed a one-stroke penalty, in compliance with rule 9.4.b. This would have brought his final score to 9 under and he would have finished tied for second with Shane Lowry.
