Wyndham Clark has been cleared of any wrongdoing following a free drop taken during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The incident occurred on the 3rd hole when Clark’s tee shot landed in what officials confirmed to be its own pitch mark, entitling him to relief without penalty. Had the ball rolled into a different divot, he would have been required to take a drop with a penalty stroke. Clark, who was leading at the time, made par on the hole.
The situation sparked discussion online, but tournament officials reviewed ShotLink video and determined that the drop was correctly applied under the rules. Clark later explained that he had not been aware of any controversy while playing. “We never saw it bounce. Then we get up there and it’s in a plugged lie. My ball was covered with mud. So we took relief and didn’t think anything of it,” he said.
By the end of the round, Clark had fallen two shots behind the leader, Shane Lowry, after a double bogey on the 15th and another dropped shot at the 17th resulted in a score of 71. Meanwhile, Lowry carded an impressive 67, highlighted by a well-executed birdie on the difficult 18th hole. His eight-under-par total put him in the lead heading into the weekend.
Lowry’s strong performance was backed by solid iron play and a strategic approach suited to the challenges of Bay Hill. The 2019 Open champion acknowledged that his motivation was heightened by the prospect of securing a later tee time in the third round, which would allow him to watch Ireland’s Six Nations match against France. “It was either a late tee time or no tee time,” he said.
He also spoke about the mental approach required for success at Bay Hill, emphasizing patience and the value of steady play. “My iron play is good and conservative when it needs to be. I think you need that around places like this. I just like the grind of ‘pars are good.’ There’s a lot of weeks out here where you shoot level par for nine holes and feel like you’re beating your head against the wall. Whereas, weeks like this, level par after nine, you’re actually doing OK. You’re just a little run away from having a lovely day. I like the type of golf where any time you break 70, you feel like you’ve had a good day.”
Lowry’s playing partner, Rory McIlroy, shot a 70, leaving him four shots off the lead heading into the weekend.
