Golf star ripped for 'absolute clown stuff' after tantrum left volunteer 'scared to death'
One-time US Open champion Wyndham Clark has come under fire for a temper tantrum that could easily have injured a volunteer marshall.
In the final round of the PGA Championship, Clark had just made a three-putt bogey on the par-5 15th when he stepped onto the 16th tee - the first of Quail Hollow's famous 'Green Mile' finishing three holes.
His drive heading towards a deep fairway bunker, Clark launched his club backwards without looking, where it smashed a hole in an advertising hoarding and broke.
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The club also narrowly missed a volunteer marshall. Viewers on social media immediately called for Clark to be disqualified, which is an option that would be available to an umpire for a similar act in a tennis match but almost never happen in golf.
Wyndham Clark throws his club after his tee shot on the par-4 16th in the final round of the PGA Championship found a bunker. Supplied
Clark could potentially be fined for the incident, although fines dished out by the PGA Tour or USGA, which sanctions the PGA Championship, are not made public.
Clark would go on to bogey the 16th, before making pars at 17 and 18 to sign for a 3-over 74 and fall to a share of 50th place.
The tantrum is unlikely to go down well with sponsors. Clark put the hole in the sign immediately above the logo of US telecommunications giant T-Mobile, of which he is an ambassador.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler put together a stonking back nine to claim a 5-shot win and his third major title.
Earlier, Jon Rahm looked set to steal the victory from him before an astonishing three-hole meltdown dropped him well down the leaderboard.
With a birdie on the par-4 11th, Rahm moved into a tie for the lead with Scheffler. The Spaniard had to that point shot a bogey-free 3-under.
But he would miss birdie putts on the 14th and 15th, and would hook his tee shots on the 16th and 18th. He played the final three holes 5-over to tumble down the order.
“Am I embarrassed a little bit about how I finished today? Yeah,” Rahm said. “But I just need to get over it, get over myself. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not like I’m a doctor or a first responder, where somebody if they have a bad day, truly bad things happen. I’ll get over it. I’ll move on."
Jon Rahm had a shocker in the closing holes at the PGA Championship. Getty
The Spanish star wound up with a 2-over 73 on Sunday and tied for eighth place, seven shots behind Scheffler.
That would have been inconceivable outcome for Rahm just an hour before.
“The last three holes, it’s a tough pill to swallow right now,” Rahm said. “Especially knowing 16 is not the narrowest fairway in the world. That bunker is in play. You’re lucky enough, you have a shot to the pin.
"Not a terrible swing, but bad enough to put me in a real difficult situation."
