Wyndham Clark controversy: Decoding everything that happened at the Arnold Palmer Invitational

During the second round of the ongoing Arnold Palmer Invitational, Wyndham Clark found himself in a controversy for a possible rules violation. On the Bay Hill Club and Lodge's par 4 third hole, the 31-year-old's drive landed in a pitch mark.

Clark took relief from the lie as he believed that the golf ball was imbedded in its own pitch mark. However, according to the United States Golf Association (USGA), a player will not be provided relief if their golf ball came to rest in another player's pitch mark.

Soon after the PGA Tour star marked his ball with a tee on the fairway to take relief, the Arnold Palmer Invitational broadcasters began questioning if Clark's ball did in fact land in his own pitch mark. They assumed that the ball landed in another player's pitch mark, which would be grounds for penalization.

The PGA Tour's Rules Committee resorted to reviewing the ShotLink video of his tee shot to clarify the issue. The committee came to a decision that Wyndham Clark's shot did indeed imbed in its own pitch mark, which entitled him to free relief.

Here's a look at the statement from the PGA Tour (via X @PGATOURComms):

"Statement from the PGA TOUR Rules Committee: 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."

Here's a look at Wyndham Clark's lie on the par 4 third hole of the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida (via Instagram @foreplaypod):

Wyndham Clark safely made the cut at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational and remains in contention after bearing the early lead. With players still left to complete their rounds, the American golfer has claimed the solo second place at the event after carding in a 1-under par 71 score in the second round.

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Wyndham Clark's 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational Round 2 Scorecard

Here's a look at Wyndham Clark's scorecard for the Arnold Palmer Invitational's second round on Friday, March 7 (via PGA Tour):

• Hole 1 (par 4) - 3
• Hole 2 (par 3) - 3
• Hole 3 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 4 (par 5) - 5
• Hole 5 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 6 (par 5) - 5
• Hole 7 (par 3) - 3
• Hole 8 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 9 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 10 (par 4) - 3
• Hole 11 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 12 (par 5) - 4
• Hole 13 (par 4) - 4
• Hole 14 (par 3) - 3
• Hole 15 (par 4) - 6
• Hole 16 (par 5) - 4
• Hole 17 (par 3) - 4
• Hole 18 (par 4) - 4