PGA Tour star caught up in bizarre rules drama at Bay Hill

Major champ Wyndham Clark took relief for an embedded ball at the Arnold Palmer Invitational – but should he have?

Another week, another Rules of Golf drama on the PGA Tour. Who’s the lucky contestant this time? Wyndham Clark, come on down!

The social media referees were out in force during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational when Clark appeared took relief for an embedded ball in the middle of the par-4 third hole at Bay Hill.

The reason everyone is up in arms is because Rule 16.3a (2) – Determining Whether Ball Is Embedded –  states that “a player’s ball is embedded only if it is in its own pitch-mark made as a result of the player’s previous stroke”, and “part of the ball is below the level of the ground”.  

So was the former US Open champion’s ball in his own pitchmark? We’ll let you decide…

It’s hard to tell, isn’t it? (Don’t beat yourself up, it’s even divided the team at TG Towers.)

The situation during the broadcast wasn’t helped when Rich Pierson, the PGA Tour’s director of TV rules and video, joined the live coverage to confirm Clark “would not be allowed relief from someone else’s pitchmark.”

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And while Clark was later cleared, with officials on site happy Clark’s ball landed in his own pitchmark, a clarification in the Rules of Golf would likely have saved the 31-year-old from a two-shot penalty.

It reads: “If the player cannot tell for sure whether the ball is in its own pitch-mark or a pitch-mark made by another ball, the player may treat the ball as embedded if it is reasonable to conclude from the available information that the ball is in its own pitch-mark.”

Now, shall we all go back to arguing about relief from divots?