GOLF fans believe Rory McIlroy is the rightful US Open champion as Wyndham Clark should have been given a penalty.

Clark beat McIlroy by a single shot to claim his first-ever Major at Los Angeles Country Club on Sunday.

But fans have accused the 29-year-old of moving his ball when setting up a shot on the back nine.

As Clark tried to decide which club to use and placed them behind the ball, the ball appeared to fractionally move – although it’s not totally clear whether it moved from its spot.

Some fans were convinced however and questioned why the American was not penalised.

One said: “@USGA How is this not a penalty?”

Another added: “That moved more than a degree!”

A third wrote: “Look at the blades of grass before and then after he grounds the club. They aren’t the same…ball moved as he improved his lie.”

And another commented: “We need to talk about this! If you’re not going to assess the rules then what are the rules for? Clark grounded his club and the ball moved which is a stroke. If he signs that card without that stroke he needs to be disqualified immediately.”

If Clark was judged to have moved the ball he would have received a two-stroke penalty according to Rule 14.7a, which forbids a ball being played from the wrong spot.

That would have been enough to give McIlroy the win.

The Northern Irishman finished -9, one shot behind Clark on -10.

Instead McIlroy’s long search for a fifth Major continues.

John Rahm once received a two-shot penalty during his win at the Memorial Tournament in 2020.

However Clark was found to not have breached any rules and the USGA decided not to investigate the incident.