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What led Wyndham Clark to complain about the 2025 Hero World Challenge course

Originally posted on HITC | By Charlie Walker | Last updated Dec 5, 2025 8:15 AM ET

Wyndham Clark has never been one to hide his emotions on the course, and that has led to plenty of headlines over the years.

His outburst at Oakmont Country Club, where he smashed up a locker during the US Open, did not help his reputation. Clark was banned from the club after the incident.

This was not an isolated incident, either. There have been plenty of occasions where Clark’s temper has come into question.

He still had a decent record behind him, including his 2023 US Open win. But his 2025 campaign had not lived up to expectations. He managed two top-fives, but also missed five cuts and did not get close in any of the majors.

Even so, he found some form at the Hero World Challenge event. He opened with a six-under round to share the lead after Thursday. Still, the 31-year-old was not entirely happy and had some issues with the course set-up.

Wyndham Clark not pleased with Hero World Challenge course conditions

Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images

Clark started well at the Hero World Challenge, matching Scottie Scheffler’s opening-round 66. But he was far from pleased with the condition of Albany.

Bermuda grass has always been a tough surface, especially around the greens. Scheffler found that out firsthand, struggling more than most during his round.

When asked what made the grass so tricky, Clark did not hold back: “Do you want the politically correct answer? It’s not in good shape. You’re always chipping into the grain, and there’s a lot of chips that are up and over, so you have to chip up.

“And you’re coming from really bad lies in Bermuda, and you have to hit it up and there’s just very little margin for error.”

To be fair to Clark, he was not the only one having issues with how difficult it was playing underfoot.

Sepp Straka explains why chipping is difficult at the Hero World Challenge

Fresh off a Ryder Cup victory with Europe in New York, Sepp Straka found himself tied for the lead in the Bahamas and had some thoughts on what makes this course so challenging around the greens.

He said: “It’s so grainy. It’s really grainy, and the greens are, most of them are just subtly raised. It’s nothing crazy.

“Like if it was an easy lie, it wouldn’t be too bad, but they’re just raised enough to where, into the grain, it’s hard to bump it into the slopes, and if your lie’s into the grain, you can’t really loft it up.

“You have to get a little creative sometimes in trying to figure out a way to get the ball close to the hole.”

The fact that five players are tied at six-under suggests the course is not overly difficult. It is refreshing to occasionally see the world’s best golfers tackle such a distinct challenge!

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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