Wyndham Clark was not the guy I wanted to beat on Sunday. But when you do that, you earn it, and I respect that. What stood out watching the final round was not his ball-striking, which was strong but unremarkable by the standards of US Open winners. He was a shooter. And when he got to the microphone, he made a point of credit PING by name.
There is a story behind this.
PING signed Clark to an exclusive Scottsdale TEC putter deal just days before the championship, and the timing was no coincidence.
PING agreement
On June 17, the day before Clark did it at Shinnecock, PING announced that he had signed a deal to play exclusively Scottsdale TEC shooter. He had been playing with the Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset model since Houston Open and PING CEO John K. Solheim made it clear the deal was a direct response to what they were seeing on the course.
“Wyndham comes into the US Open this week as one of the best players in the world,” Solheim said. “He has used Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset model since the Houston Open and has climbed steadily up the world rankings since then on the strength of a win and a third-place finish in his last three tournaments.”
PING he paid attention to the data.
“We’re excited that he’s having such tremendous success with the new model and is taking advantage of Eye Q’s stretch technology and groundbreaking design,” added Solheim. “His choice to use the new player further validates the performance golfers can expect when they add a Scottsdale TEC player to their bag.”
Clark’s own comments echo the same theme.
“Since the transition to PING Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue starter shooter in April, I’ve seen significant improvements in my performance and I credit the new player with helping me get back into the winner’s circle,” said Clark. “The white finish first caught my eye and when I started rolling shots with it, it settled in easily and gave me instant confidence.”
He also touched on something worth paying attention to if you’re shopping around: the starter design isn’t something most golfers have tried.
“I’ve never used a trigger shot before, so it was a new look for me that really matched my eye,” Clark said. “The launch combined with the top rail point simplifies the layup and my consistency has improved. I’m sinking more long shots than ever.”
We saw this on Sunday afternoon.
Inside Clark’s new shooter
The shooter itself is a custom build Start of Scottsdale TEC Ally Bluelaunched by PING in April. Clark Features:
Clark also piles lead tape on the bottom of the head. We saw him at Shinnecock adding more before his practice round on Wednesday.
Two design elements separate this gauge from a standard hammer, and both are worth understanding if you’re considering one for your bag.
The first is the Eye Q alignment technology which PING built around eye-tracking research known as the Quiet Eye. The idea is to give the player a single, distinct focal point on the top rail rather than multiple lines competing for attention. Coupled with a longer reach line, the design is meant to calm the eyes before impact and help the golfer maintain a steady gaze through the shot.
The second is the initial axis position. Instead of the shaft coming in near the front of the headstock, it sits closer to the centerline, behind the top rail and forward of the center of gravity. The result is a more complete view of the ball at address, which is exactly what Clark mentioned when he said the view took a few tweaks.
Solheim framed the broader design philosophy this way: “We also chose to make this line hammers exclusively to better serve the growing market for these types of models while continuing to offer shock-type fit through optimal CG placement.
The record that set this
Clark’s entry into the US Open was not a one-week surprise. A month ago, he used the same thing Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue starter shooter to win the CJ Byron Nelson Cup at 30 under par and, in the process, he set the PGA Tour record for Strokes Gained: Putting in a single event, gaining more than 12.5 strokes on the field for the week.
The final round of that victory included a 60 during which Clark holed 158 feet.
What the numbers showed at Shinnecock
Clark’s US Open Strokes Gained matches all of the above. His SG Total for the tournament was +3.64, the best mark on the field, but the category breakdowns show exactly where that number came from: +1.53 SG Putt, against +0.78 SG Approach, +0.70 SG Around the Green and +0.63 SG Off the Tee.
His ball strike finished the job. It didn’t separate him from the field, but the shooter did.
PING signed Clark on the strength of his record and now he is a two-time US Open champion. Financial terms were not disclosed, but I think it worked out well for everyone involved.
