Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jun 23

Wyndham Clark Wins 2nd U.S. Open by 1 Shot, Shares Emotional Message After Shinnecock

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jun 23

Wyndham Clark Wins 2nd U.S. Open by 1 Shot, Shares Emotional Message After Shinnecock

Q: What was the key change that turned a frustrated player into a two-time major champion in one year?

The decisive change was a combined reset of Wyndham Clark’s swing and mindset after his 2025 low point. On the technical side, Clark’s turnaround began when he started working in September 2025 with instructor Patrick Coyner. Coyner rebuilt the mechanics that had unraveled after Clark’s 2023 U.S. Open win: Clark’s lead wrist had become too extended, his backswing too long, and his clubface too open, producing the “two-way miss” that fueled his frustration. The fixes were specific — restoring wrist structure, shortening the arm swing, adding width, and improving clubface control — and they gave him back a more reliable ball flight. He also benefited from a putter change and training work that sharpened his hand-and-wrist coordination. Just as important was the mental shift. Clark had already been working with sports psychologist Julie Elion, but after the Oakmont locker-room incident and a turbulent 2025, that work took on greater urgency. He publicly accepted responsibility, completed anger-management requirements, and learned to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. At Shinnecock, that showed in how he handled a hostile crowd without losing composure. The result was not one magic fix but a full recalibration: a more controlled swing, a calmer emotional state, and a clearer course-management plan with new caddie David Pelekoudas. That combination turned a player defined by frustration in 2025 into a two-time U.S. Open champion in 2026.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 23

Wyndham Clark said his second U.S. Open title "means so much" after he went wire-to-wire at Shinnecock Hills and beat Sam Burns by one shot.
The 32-year-old called the victory sweeter because it followed a year with "more questions than answers," frustration and doubts about his game.
Clark thanked New York fans, the USGA and his support team in a post on X, saying the demanding Shinnecock atmosphere pushed players to compete at their best.
That response came after a tense final round in which many spectators appeared to root against him, cheering some of his five bogeys.
The win marks Clark's second one-shot U.S. Open triumph after Los Angeles in 2023 and follows a troubled 2025 season that included public outbursts at the PGA Championship and Oakmont.