{"id":329793,"date":"2025-12-05T16:50:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/329793\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:50:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:50:13","slug":"its-not-in-good-shape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/329793\/","title":{"rendered":"‘It’s not in good shape’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since his win at the 2023 U.S. Open, PGA Tour pro Wyndham Clark<\/a> has spent significantly more time in the public eye \u2014\u00a0and has made headlines both on and off the course.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s no stranger to controversy, offering candid comments that have landed him in the news. It\u2019s been more than comments, too: he received plenty of blowback after smashing Oakmont lockers in anger at this year\u2019s U.S. Open<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But that hasn\u2019t silenced Clark. On Thursday, he waded into controversy again with some unvarnished feedback for Albany GC, the Hero World Challenge host course, after tying for the first-round lead.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

Wyndham Clark critiques Hero course conditions<\/p>\n

Clark\u2019s reputation took a serious hit when images circulated online of the damage he caused in Oakmont\u2019s historic locker room this June.<\/p>\n

Clark was suspended by the club<\/a> and later apologized for the incident<\/a>, saying he \u201cdid something awful\u201d at the Open Championship.<\/p>\n


\n \"wyndham <\/a><\/p>\n

Former U.S. Open champion accused of damaging historic Oakmont lockers<\/a><\/p>\n

By:<\/p>\n


\n Alan Bastable and Josh Sens <\/a><\/p>\n

On Thursday at the 2025 Hero World Challenge, the low-stress, limited-field tournament hosted by Tiger Woods<\/a>, Clark shot an opening-round 66 to tie for the lead with four others<\/a>, including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But despite his great round in an unofficial, invite-only Tour event in the Bahamas, Clark didn\u2019t mince words about the conditions at host course Albany GC following his round.<\/p>\n

When asked specifically about the difficulty with chipping in Albany\u2019s Bermuda grass<\/a>, which is famously challenging, Clark didn\u2019t hold back.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want the politically correct answer?\u201d Clark asked. \u201cIt\u2019s not in good shape.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cYou\u2019re always chipping into the grain and there\u2019s a lot of chips that are up and over so you have to chip up, and you\u2019re coming from really bad lies in Bermuda and you have to hit it up and there\u2019s just very little margin for error.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear if Clark considers the answer he supplied as the \u201cpolitically correct\u201d one.<\/p>\n

To be fair, he was not alone among the players in the field.<\/p>\n

Clark wasn\u2019t the only Hero competitor asked about the chipping conditions at Albany on Friday. A reporter asked Scheffler the same question following his own opening-round 66.<\/p>\n

While Scheffler hit on a lot of the same points as Clark did, his answer was more diplomatic.<\/p>\n


\n \"In <\/a><\/p>\n

How to handle sticky Bermuda grass around the green<\/a><\/p>\n

By:<\/p>\n


\n Bill Schmedes III <\/a><\/p>\n

,
\n Nick Dimengo <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I think the grain has a lot to do with it,\u201d Scheffler said on Friday. \u201cThe ball has a tendency to sit down in the turf. And a lot of it\u2019s rough here, so you\u2019re below the green, ball\u2019s sitting down. It can be pretty challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corey Conners<\/a>, who shot a 67 and will play alongside Scheffler on Friday, echoed those thoughts about the grain of the Bermuda grass at Albany.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s really grainy, the ball just kind of sits down a little bit. The ground\u2019s not very forgiving and you\u2019ve got to get some height on the shots,\u201d Conners shared. \u201cThe greens are all raised up a little bit, so kind of hitting from low areas, softer, tighter, really grainy lie. It\u2019s pretty important to make sure you have good contact.\u201d<\/p>\n

With 54 holes to play, Clark and Scheffler are in a five-way tie for the lead as Scheffler vies for his third consecutive Hero World Challenge victory.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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