‘Not in good condition’

Since his victory at the 2023 US Open, PGA Tour pro Wyndham Clarke has spent much more time in the public eye – and made headlines both on and off the course.

He is no stranger to controversy, offering candid comments that have landed him in the news. There have been more than comments too: he took a lot of hits afterwards smashing the Oakmont lockers in anger at this year’s US Open.

But that hasn’t silenced Clark. On Thursday, he was again embroiled in controversy with some incomplete reactions to Albany GC, the host course of the Hero World Challenge, after tying for the lead in the first round.

Here’s what you need to know.

Wyndham Clark criticizes Hero’s course conditions

Clark’s reputation took a serious hit when images of the damage he caused to Oakmont’s historic locker room were circulated online this June.

Clark was suspended from the club and later apologized for the incidentsaying he “did something terrible” at the Open Championship.

Thursday at Hero World Challenge 2025, the low-stress, limited-field tournament hosted by Tiger WoodsClark shot an opening round of 66 tied for the lead with four othersincluding world no.1 Scottie Scheffler.

But despite his superb round at an unofficial, invitation-only tournament in the Bahamas, Clark was tight-lipped about the conditions at the host Albany GC course after his round.

When asked specifically about the difficulty with chipping at Albany’s Bermuda grasswhich is extremely challenging, Clark did not hold back.

“Do you want the politically correct answer?” Clark asked. “It’s not in good shape.”

He continued: “You’re always ripping into the grain and there’s a lot of chips that come up and over again, so you have to rip, and you’re coming from really bad lies in Bermuda and you have to hit it and there’s just very little margin for error.”

It’s unclear whether Clark considers the answer he gave to be “politically correct.”

To be honest, he was not alone among the players on the field.

Clark wasn’t the only Hero competitor asked about shredding conditions in Albany on Friday. A reporter asked Scheffler the same question after his opening round 66.

While Scheffler hit on many of the same points as Clark, his response was more diplomatic.

“I mean, I think the grain has a lot to do with it,” Scheffler said Friday. “The ball has a tendency to sit on the green. And a lot of it is rough here, so you’re down the green, the ball is sitting. It can be quite challenging.”

Corey Connerswho shot a 67 and will play alongside Scheffler on Friday, echoed those thoughts about the Bermuda grass grain in Albany.

“Yeah, it’s really grainy, the ball just sits a little bit. The ground isn’t very forgiving and you have to get some height on shots,” Conners said. “The greens are all elevated a little bit, so it kind of hits from low areas, softer, tighter, really grainy lies. It’s very important to make sure you have good contact.”

With 54 holes to play, Clark and Scheffler are in a five-way tie for the lead as Scheffler battles for his third consecutive Hero World Challenge victory.

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