US Open champion Wyndham Clark should have been assessed penalty in final round, fans say

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Fans seem to think that this past weekend's U.S. Open should have gone to a playoff after a possible missed penalty against Wyndham Clark.

Clark won his first major on Sunday at -10, beating Rory McIlroy by a stroke, but viewers of the tournament say Clark should have been assessed a penalty.

During a greenside chip, in an all but grainy video, Clark is seen grounding a club that may or may not have caused the ball to move.

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Wyndham Clark hoists the trophy after winning the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18, 2023. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Social media reactions were quite mixed. Barstool Sports' Daniel Rapaport said the ball "doesn't move nearly enough for a penalty," and the ball "oscillates maybe."

If it did in fact "oscillate," there would be no penalty because the ball would have returned to its original spot, per the USGA.

However, Rule 9.4 states that if a ball is moved at rest, it would be a one-stroke penalty.

If a penalty were assessed, assuming nothing else following changed, Clark and McIlroy would have both been at 9-under through 72 holes.

Wyndham Clark celebrates on the 18th hole after winning the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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The tiebreaker at the U.S. Open is now a two-hole aggregate after having previously been another full round of 18 on Monday – who could forget Tiger Woods vs. Rocco Mediate, the last U.S. Open playoff, in 2008? The new format was formed in 2018.

Wyndham Clark holds the trophy after winning the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club on June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

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The victory was Clark's second as a pro. McIlroy still awaits his first major victory in nine years after having won four from 2011 to 2014. Aside from this year's Masters, where he missed the cut, he's finished at least eighth place or better in majors since 2022, and this weekend was his third top-three and fourth top-five finish since then.