Calls for Rory McIlroy to be given US Open title with eagle-eyed fans convinced Wyndham Clark should get penalty
GOLF fans believe Rory McIlroy is the rightful US Open champion as Wyndham Clark should have been given a penalty.
Clark beat McIlroy by a single shot to claim his first-ever Major at Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday.
But fans have accused the 29-year-old of moving his ball when setting up a shot on the back nine.
As Clark tried to decide which wedge to use and placed them behind the ball, the ball appeared to fractionally move - although it's not totally clear whether it moved from its spot.
Some fans were convinced however and questioned why the American was not penalised.
One said: "@USGA How is this not a penalty?"
Another added: "That moved more than a degree!"
A third wrote: "Look at the blades of grass before and then after he grounds the club. They aren’t the same…ball moved as he improved his lie."
And another commented: "We need to talk about this! If you're not going to assess the rules then what are the rules for? Clark grounded his club and the ball moved which is a stroke. If he signs that card without that stroke he needs to be disqualified immediately."
If Clark was judged to have moved the ball he would have received a two-stroke penalty according to Rule 14.7a, which forbids a ball being played from the wrong spot.
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That would have been enough to give McIlroy the win.
The Northern Irishman finished -9, one shot behind Clark on -10.
Instead McIlroy's long search for a fifth Major continues.
McIlroy was at the centre of his own rules controversy on the back-nine with fans convinced he profited from an "improper drop" after his ball became wedged in grass surrounding a bunker.
John Rahm received a two-shot penalty during his win at the Memorial Tournament in 2020 when his ball moves after he addressed it.
However Clark was found to not have breached any rules and the USGA decided not to investigate the incident.