PGA Tour Releases Statement After Rules Confusion At Arnold Palmer Invitational

Wyndham Clark was granted a free drop from his pitch mark during the second round at Bay Hill, but the incident left fans questioning the decision on social media

Wyndham Clark strikes an iron from the centre of the fairway
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Matt Cradock's avatar
By
published

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.

Wyndham Clark hits a drive and watches it in the air

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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.”

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.

Matt Cradock
Matt Cradock
Staff Writer

Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover news and social media.

Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. His favorite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.

Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?

Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°

Fairway Wood: Ping G430 LST 15°, 19°

Irons: TaylorMade P.7CB

Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°

Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Latest
You might also like
View More ▸