The US Open Champion, Should Have Received Penalty
After a potential missed penalty against Wyndham Clark this past weekend, some fans believe the U.S. Open should have gone to a playoff.
After a potential missed penalty against Wyndham Clark this past weekend, some fans believe the U.S. Open should have gone to a playoff.
Although observers watching the competition believe Clark should have received a penalty by the U.S. Open, Clark won his first major on Sunday at -10, defeating Rory McIlroy by one shot.
In mostly clear footage of a greenside chip, Clark can be seen grounding a club that may or may not have moved the ball.
The responses on social media were fairly diverse. The ball “doesn’t move nearly enough for a penalty,” according to Daniel Rapaport of Barstool Sports, and it “oscillates maybe.”
According to the USGA, if the ball did “oscillate,” there would be no penalty because it would have returned to its original place.
But according to Rule 9.4, moving a ball at rest results in a one-stroke fine.
If there had been a penalty, Clark and McIlroy would have finished the first 72 holes at 9 under par, provided nothing else changed.
The U.S. Open tiebreaker has changed from another full round of 18 holes on Monday to a two-hole aggregate. Who could forget the 2008 U.S. Open playoff between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate? 2018 saw the formation of the new format.
Clark’s second win in a professional match. McIlroy, who won four major championships between 2011 and 2014, has yet to claim his first major triumph in nine years. This weekend marked his third top-three and fourth top-five finish in majors since 2022, except for this year’s Masters, where he missed the cut. Since that time, he has finished in at least eighth place or better in every major event.
