Wyndham Clark accused of breaking golf rule during BMW Championship win

Wyndham Clark broke a golf rule en route to claiming his third win of the season, according to a baying mob on X.

The American declared he was "one of the best players in the world" after he held off a fightback from Masters champion Rory McIlroy to claim the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.

Clark, 32, began the day with a five-shot lead but surrendered it with seven holes remaining.

But a late stretch of birdies from the 16th saw the reigning U.S. Open champion pull clear of the Northern Irishman.

The victory has undoubtedly bolstered Clark's case to be named the PGA Tour's player of the year.

But some X users believe Clark should have incurred a penalty for his actions on the 14th hole.

What happened?

Clark's tee shot found the rough to the right side of the 14th fairway.

With 173 yards to a pin tucked at the back left of the green, it was clear Clark was unsure which club to take.

He was observed assessing the lie with three clubs, and even CBS analyst Trevor Immelman picked up on his hesitancy.

"He's taking a long look at this," said Immelman. "This is like the third club he's placed down behind the ball there."

Former PGA Tour player turned golf commentator Frank Nobilo then appeared to insinuate Clark was up to no good.

"So the lie might be better," he added.

Take a look at the clip here:

As you can see, Clark does ground his club several times before playing the shot.

Under Rule 8.1, a player must not improve conditions affecting the stroke.

However, simply grounding a club does not automatically constitute a rules violation.

The question is whether Clark actually improved his lie. 

Clark went on to make par on the hole, but his actions were heavily debated on X.

"He's always been a cheater," one wrote.

Another added: "A good golfer who doesn't need to press the rules, but he does. The man has issues."

One defended Clark by saying: "Read the rules. There was no excessive force here when he put his club down. No penalty."

While Clark escaped a penalty, Sahith Theegala was not so fortunate.

Theegala incurred a penalty on the par-3 13th hole.

His birdie putt from 22 feet stopped agonisingly short before dropping.

But Theegala was adjudged to have waited more than the 10 seconds permitted.

Elsewhere, DP World Tour golfer Shaun Norris was hit with a two-shot penalty at the Nexo Championship.

The South African began the final round at the top of the leaderboard, but his bid for victory was dealt a cruel blow after he fell foul of Rule 8.1.

Norris removed a divot when addressing his second shot on the fifth hole.