Reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark has drawn attention for an unusual practice drill he employed on the driving range at Royal Birkdale ahead of The Open Championship. On Monday, Clark was observed using a wooden coat hanger in conjunction with his club, a move that struck onlookers as peculiar.
The drill, as explained by the 'Live at the Range' crew, is designed to help improve face angle at impact by focusing on wrist positioning during the backswing. Clark stated that he implemented the temporary measure due to perceived issues with his swing at the Genesis Scottish Open the previous week.
"My swing's gotten a little off. I kind of hit it kind of crappy [at the Scottish Open]," Clark told reporters. "Yeah, the coat hanger is for wrist angle, trying to get a little more inflection in my left wrist so I can square the face more. That's just what it is."
Clark, who is seeking to win back-to-back majors for the first time in his career, downplayed the extent of the unusual practice, noting, "You won't see me doing a bunch of that stuff the rest of the week." He and his swing coach intend to use the method for a limited number of shots before reverting to his standard swing.
Despite describing his performance at the Scottish Open as "crappy," Clark finished the tournament at nine-under-par, tying for 13th place.
Clark is scheduled to begin his first round at The Open alongside fellow American Cameron Young and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg. Their tee time is set for 3:04 p.m. BST on Thursday.
