"Another potential cheating scandal?" - Fans react to Wyndham Clark's rules controversy at the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Wyndham Clark got embroiled in a rules controversy at Bay Hill yet again. He had taken a free relief after his tee shot on the 3rd hole during Round 2 of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The move sparked a discussion on social media.

Clark took a free drop after his ball hit the fairway, bounced in the air, and rolled into its own pitch mark. Had the ball rolled to a different pitch mark, the golfer could face a potential violation. But after a review, the PGA Tour Rules Committee immediately cleared him of any violation on Friday itself.

A similar rules controversy had taken place the last time Clark played at Bay Hill. The strange coincidence drew fans' attention. NUCLR Golf posted about the incident on their X account.

Fans gave their opinions on the rules scandal, especially since it was not the first time Wyndham Clark had found himself in one at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"Clark with another potential cheating scandal? Color me shocked," said one user.

"I hope he’s not penalized for this, it’s a ridiculous rule and he had no intent," another fan said.

"How is that not his?? It bounced back then roled up into it," another commented.

"I’ve seen this before…," another noted.

"It’s dumb that they can’t move the ball outside a divot," one fan wrote.

"Even if it wasn’t his, he could not have possibly known," another added.

When the entire controversy erupted on social media, Wyndham Clark was leading the standings. At the time of writing, he is trailing behind leader Shane Lowry.

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What happened to Wyndham Clark at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational?

Wyndham Clark at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Source: Imagn)

Wyndham Clark was playing on the 18th hole during Round 3 of the Arnold Palmer Invitational last year when his tee shot sparked a debate about a potential rule violation.

Apparently, he had placed his club behind the ball several times. He even had his caddie clean the face of the club before the hit. The move raised a controversy about whether the ball had moved prior to the actual hit or not. If it had, it would have incurred Clark a one-shot penalty.

The ace golfer also spoke on the matter, clarifying that he was not "cheating".

"I’m not cheating or anything like that or trying to improve my lie. Obviously they zoom in, and it makes it look worse. We all talked about it and Scottie (Scheffler) and the rules official didn’t think it moved, so fortunately that didn’t happen," he said (via Golfweek).

Clark eventually went on to finish the tournament in the second position behind Scottie Scheffler, who won the title a second time in his career.