Wyndham Clark stepped out of the green at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
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Wyndham Clark signed 71 in the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational last Friday, but was surprised when a rule official met him in the scoring zone, warning him that the media might ask the media what happened on the 4th 3-3 hole.
“I thought At 3?Clark said. “I hit it in the middle of the fairway, hit it in the green and two shots. I think, What are you talking about? He left, “This is your drop.”
Clark did get some good news afterward: He did nothing wrong and wouldn’t be punished, although it was a brief rule controversy brewed on the broadcast.
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Clark hit his tee on the third hole in Bay Hill, and the camera showed it bounced on the fairway and rested near its landing area. When the broadcast returned, Clark marked his ball on the fairway and was ready to get off. If his ball rests on his own court, it would be legal to drop because his ball fell on another court, but he was relieved that he would be punished.
That was a confusing time. Rich Pierson, director of rules and video for the PGA Tour, jumped on the radio and said: “Windham’s ball is not embedded. His ball bounces and rolls into someone else’s court mark.”
If that is true, there is inevitable punishment. But six holes later, Pearson returned to the radio and cleared Clark.
“Using the TV and our Shotlink cameras, we were able to make sure it did end with its original pitch arm,” Pearson said. “So there is no penalty.”
When asked Wednesday at the Players Championship, Clark had the idea: “I have some comments on this rule,” he said.
“They showed me the video and then it made me think, how should we know? We were only 300 yards away,” Clark said. “We didn’t see the ball bounce from a distance, we stood up and it was already stuck. How should I know? No one told us. So my frustration was, if I did get touched, what was my fault when no one told me I was stuck in something Things, if I do get stuck in someone else’s pitching mark. That’s one of the rules of golf, why we make it so complicated. I can’t see that, and it seems unfair if the volunteers don’t tell me that I’ll be touched for not knowing what happened.
“But I’m glad it was right because I didn’t try to cheat in any way. We just walked up and Ball was inserted, using the embedded ball rules.”
Clark even finished the match at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the 22nd tie.
Clark started his first round at 8:46 a.m. ET on Thursday. He was grouped with Jason Day and Jordan Spieth. You can find Round 1 here.
