Wyndham Clark had no other choice. Playing out of thick rough at a slope with the crowd at the 2026 PGA Championship surrounding him, Clark had to take a calculated swing to hit the ball that was well below his feet. While the incident did not cause any injury, it did spark a debate about the spectator’s position during the shot.

Wyndham Clark was already having a tough time at the Aronomink Golf Club in Round Two. Previously, he opened Thursday with a 5-over-par 75, and on Friday, he was fighting hard to stay in contention. The clip has gone viral, showing Clark trying to hit a shot from the 11th hole on the slide slope with the patchy lie. About 50 spectators also gathered around him with his Caddie and some others standing less than 5 yards away.

Since Clark was working off a slide slope, and its direction was making it nearly impossible for him to take a shot, he needed to take an aggressive shot to advance his ball. However, the shot flung hard left, striking the lens of a videographer and almost hitting a fan in the face. The crowd was alarmed, but fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt.

The shot was unsuccessful as it further cost Clark a triple bogey on seven, and he eventually missed the cut by a single shot at 5-over-par.

It was certainly a dangerous call for both the player and the fans. However, the PGA has often issued warnings to avoid such situations. The official spectator guidelines are clear on this point, as they require fans to stay behind the gallery ropes and cooperate with marshals whenever needed. In addition to that, if fans are in the front row, they are required to kneel, sit, or remain still throughout the shot. However, the crowd around Clark on the 11th was well inside the boundary, so a mishap was very much probable.

Most fans have taken Clark’s side, stating clearly that it was not the player’s fault, although some still remained disappointed.

Fans take a sharp stance in support of Clark

Christopher Powers, a writer at Golf Digest, posted on X and sharply called out the spectators. “Wyndham Clark almost caught a body at Aronimink. Not his fault. You absolutely get what you deserve if that’s where you’re gonna stand for that shot.”

As the reaction rightly points out, PGA Tour tickets also carry a disclaimer stating that spectators voluntarily assume all risk and danger incidental to golf. Additionally, when a ball sits above a player’s feet on a sidehill lie, the clubface naturally closes through impact, and the ball tends to shoot left. The more severe the slope, the more dramatic the deviation becomes. Add thick rough into the equation, and the direction becomes even less predictable. So the shot going left was not necessarily a mishit. It was a very realistic outcome from that lie.

Another fan commented, clearly taking a dig at spectators for lacking awareness of the situation, “Patchy lie, side slope, Wyndham Clark … yeah, let me go ahead and stand riiiight over here, riiiight in front of the most volatile golfer on the PGA Tour.”

Clark is also known on tour for playing with raw emotion. He wears every shot on his face, for better or worse. But this is also not the first time fans have crowded a player’s line of sight.

Max Homa also got caught in a similar situation during the Valspar Championship. Homa’s ball had found rough well off the fairway as he prepared to play a recovery shot. However, the gallery had closed in tightly around him. He asked officials to move them back, and while they did, it was only by a few steps, not nearly enough. His shot still nearly hit someone in the crowd. Later, he said he can only “ask so much.”

Others also strongly backed Clark and summed up their frustration with spectators, “The lack of common sense to move out of the firing line is astounding.” Another added, “Why anyone feels the need to stand there, especially coming out of thick rough, blows my mind. That’s a death wish.”

The concern is not even dramatic. From the sideline, golf may not seem aggressive compared to sports like rugby, but the danger is very real. In fact, as per a report, an estimated 40,000 people seek emergency treatment each year for head injuries caused by errant golf balls and flying club heads. That is on the golf course broadly, not to events. But at a major championship where the ball’s speed is significantly higher, and galleries are packed in far tighter, standing in the wrong spot is uncomfortable. It is genuinely dangerous.

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