The Rules of Golf can be confusing, especially when you're watching the professionals from the comfort of your own home.
Numerous times television cameras pick up rules' incidents on the pro circuits and, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, former US Open champion Wyndham Clark was caught up in a bizarre incident that left many scratching their heads.
Playing the par 4 third on Friday, Clark put his tee shot into the middle of the fairway and, as he approached his ball, found it lying in a pitch mark.
Now, the confusion was caused by the fact that, had it not been Clark's pitch mark, he would not have been granted relief; however, because it was determined that the pitch mark was his, he was able to take a free drop.
After making par on the third, many on social media questioned the ruling, which was similar to that of Paul Casey's three years ago. Eventually, the footage was reviewed and it was determined that the American had not violated any rules when taking relief, with a statement from the PGA Tour Rules Committee reading:
“After reviewing ShotLink video of Wyndham Clark’s tee shot on the third hole during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, the PGA Tour Rules Committee determined that the ball returned to its own pitch mark, which entitled Clark to free relief.”
🚨⛳️🔎 #STATEMENT “After reviewing ShotLink 🎥 of Wyndham Clark’s tee shot on the 3rd hole during the 2nd rnd of the API rules committee determined the ball returned to its own pitch mark, which entitled Clark to free relief”Do you agree with the ruling?pic.twitter.com/2YdpjlX3K4March 7, 2025
In the footage, Clark's tee shot can be seen hitting the fairway before bouncing in the air and returning to its own pitch mark. Consequently, this entitled him to free relief but, had the ball rolled into a different pitch mark, Clark could have been subject to a potential violation.
Back in 2022 at The Players Championship, Casey suffered a brutal break on the 16th hole during the final round. Striking his tee shot to the centre of the fairway, the Englishman found his ball in an old pitch mark and, because it didn't 'plug' when it landed and simply rolled into another golfer's mark, he was unable to move it under the embedded golf ball rule.
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