A video of Wyndham Clark making practice swings on the ninth hole during Sunday’s final round of the U.S. Open has gone viral, with fans questioning whether he violated the rules.
The clip, posted to X by @BRENTHENLEY, shows Clark stepping behind his ball and taking a practice swing on the opposite side. Fans have questioned whether the act of stepping behind the ball in that position may have improved his lie before the shot. No ruling was issued on the shot.
Under Rule 8.1 of the Rules of Golf, players are prohibited from taking actions that improve conditions affecting the stroke, including altering the surface of the ground. A penalty applies if a player presses the club down more than lightly and improves their lie. Whether stepping behind a ball constitutes such an improvement is a determination made by on-course rules officials on the shot.
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Clark saved par on the ninth hole and made the turn one shot ahead of Sam Burns. He went on to win his second U.S. Open title, finishing at 4-under, one shot better than Burns.
Clark has faced similar scrutiny before. At the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, cameras caught Clark pressing his wedge into the ground behind his ball multiple times in deep rough on the 18th hole, with his ball appearing to move. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee was direct in his assessment on Golf Central. “I would respectfully disagree with the rules officials. I would respectfully disagree with Wyndham Clark,” Chamblee said. “The ball clearly moved. He clearly didn’t ground the club lightly. I don’t need video to see this. I saw it live and I knew the ball moved. I think he should have been penalized.”
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PGA Tour rules officials reviewed the footage and determined the ball wobbled but returned to its original spot. No penalty was issued. Clark told Eurosport after the round he was unaware of the controversy until he reached the scoring tent. “I’m not cheating or anything like that or trying to improve my lie,” Clark said. “Obviously, they zoom in and it makes it look worse. We all talked about it. Scottie and the rules officials didn’t think it moved. So fortunately that didn’t happen.”
Clark went on to win the 2026 U.S. Open wire-to-wire, finishing at 4-under, one shot better than Sam Burns. It was his second U.S. Open title, having won his first in 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club.
