gets armchair referees riled at US Open: “Blatant cheating”
Some golf fans were not happy with the actions of defending US Open champion Wyndham Clark during the third round at Pinehurst No.2.
Wyndham Clark played fast and loose with the rules during the third round of the US Open.
At least that was the verdict from some golf fans after watching footage of the American on Saturday at Pinehurst No.2.
The moment in question arrived when Clark was playing his fourth shot into the par-5 10th hole.
Defending champion Clark was faced with a perilous chip up the green knowing that if he wasn’t perfect his golf ball would roll right back to his feet given how rapid the greens were.
Unfortunately for Clark, that is exactly what happened.
But it was his actions after hitting his shot that caused a stir.
In frustration, Clark took a swipe at the ground but ever so quickly used his left foot to pat down the turf where he had just played from.
Some golf fans on X thought that he was trying to improve his lie should his ball roll back to the original spot.
Clark then opted to use his putter for his next stroke and walked off with a bogey six.
The 30-year-old later signed for a third round score of 71, taking him to five-over for the championship with 18 holes left to play.
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
“This guy is doing it wrong,” one X user wrote.
“Golf is a game of integrity and he regularly shows he lacks it with moves like this.”
Another added: “Blatant cheating and rules violation.”
Others felt that the moment was a ‘monster reach’.
“Nothing to see here, just move one,” one wrote, defending Clark.
“I’ve never tried to cheat”
This is not the first time this season Clark has been accused of ignoring the rules.
One of the most talked about moments of the year came during the third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
Clark got armchair referees all upset when he addressed his second shot on the 18th hole from the thick rough.
Footage showed Clark tapping his club behind the ball.
Some thought he caused the ball to move and improve his lie.
Tournament officuals reviewed the moment and said he did nothing wrong.
Clark later vehemently defended himself in an interview with Fox News.
Wyndham Clark
“It is unfortunate, because I had no ill intent to try to cheat or improve my lie,” he previously said.
“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.
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