Wyndham Clark faced questions during the final round of the BMW Championship on Sunday before claiming victory. This was not his first encounter with scrutiny from golf fans. Past experiences have taught him that others will form their own opinions.
At Bellerive Country Club, on the Par 4 14th hole, Clark hit his tee shot into the rough. CBS broadcasted his pre-shot routine, in which he took an iron from his bag, placed it behind the ball, and made practice swings. He then switched clubs multiple times, with his caddie, David Pelekoudas, blocking the view from the camera during one of these changes.
This sequence prompted comments from CBS analysts Trevor Immelman and Frank Nobilo. “He’s taking a long look at this. This is like the third club that he’s placed down behind the ball there,” Immelman noted. Nobilo responded, “So the lie might be better.”
The exchange, along with social media chatter, turned the moment into a topic of discussion before Clark secured a three-shot victory.
WHY WYNDHAM CLARK DESERVES PGA TOUR PLAYER OF THE YEAR, LIV GOLF’S FINAL HOORAH, AND SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER’S MONEY
In a Tuesday news conference ahead of the Tour Championship, Clark addressed the viral moment. He clarified that he did not improve his lie by placing multiple irons behind the ball. “Any player trying to judge a lie takes out different clubs to see what it feels like,” Clark stated. “I never fully put the club down behind it. It’s not something I think about.”
He added, “When the cameras are on, they find anything. It happened to others, like Bryson. It happened to me before at the U.S. Open and Bay Hill. It happens where people see something that isn’t there. The lie was never bad, just assessing. By no means did I make a bad lie good.”
Clark asserts he maintained the game’s integrity. “I know I didn’t do anything that was compromising,” he emphasized.
According to USGA Rule 8.1b(4), players can “ground the club lightly right in front of or right behind the ball.”
Earlier this year, Clark faced similar accusations at Shinnecock Hills during his U.S. Open win. He allegedly improved his lie before a short approach shot.
The 32-year-old golfer has secured three victories in 2026 and is third in the FedEx Cup standings, trailing Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler.
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