Wyndham Clark Responds to Criticism Over Practice Swings

Wyndham Clark isn’t too concerned about what others think regarding his unusual practice swings in the rough on the 14th hole during the final round of the BMW Championship on Sunday.

The two-time U.S. Open champion, who won in St. Louis, taking home a hefty $3.6 million, insisted he wasn’t trying to improve his lie. He changed clubs twice and took at least seven swings before his second shot ended up on the green, a good 24 feet from the hole.

This situation brought to mind Bryson DeChambeau’s incident during the second round of last month’s British Open, where he incurred a two-shot penalty for supposedly improving his lie in the high grass.

“I think any player when they’re trying to judge a lie takes out different clubs to see what it feels like. I never fully put the club down behind it. So I don’t think anything of it,” Clark mentioned on Tuesday, just ahead of the upcoming Tour Championship. “When the cameras are on you, they’re gonna find anything. I think you saw that in Bryson’s case.”

Clark, age 32, described his lie as “never bad” and had a clear message for those who might think he was acting suspiciously.

“By no means did I take a bad lie and make it really good. People can think what they want,” Clark said. “I know I didn’t do anything that was costing the integrity of the field. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

The actions before his shot caught the eyes of the CBS broadcast crew.

“He’s taking a long look at this. This is like the third club he’s placed down behind the ball there,” Trevor Immelman commented.

“So the lie might be better,” Frank Nobilo added.

Ultimately, Clark made par on the hole and then birdied the last three holes, securing a three-shot victory.

The Tour Championship kicks off Thursday at East Lake in Atlanta, with the winner set to receive a prize of $10 million.