Why was Wyndham Clark using a coat hanger on the range at the British Open? He explains
Wyndham Clark uses his Mondays as technical days ahead of tournaments. It’s no different this week at the 2026 Open Championship.
That’s why on the range at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, the U.S. Open champion had a coat hanger while rehearsing his swing. No, we’re not kidding.
An interesting choice of equipment from US Open champion Wyndham Clark as he dials in on the range.
Watch Live at the Range: https://t.co/SPpmcmIxV3pic.twitter.com/6NFPbn80Pb
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 13, 2026
“You won’t see me doing a bunch of that stuff the rest of the week,” Clark said. “My swing’s gotten a little off. I kind of hit it kind of crappy, especially on Sunday — or just yesterday. 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.”
The video quickly became a talking point on social media because it’s not something you see every day, especially the range at a major championship. Hearing Clark say his swing is a little off is also a tad shocking considering he hasn’t finished worse than T-13 in his past six starts.
But that’s what Monday is for. Getting his feels back ahead of his first major start since winning U.S. Open No. 2 last month at Shinnecock Hills.
“It’s like an old, old training aid. People have been doing it forever,” Clark said. “I didn’t come up with it, but I decided to do it. My swing coach and I have been working on it. I get my wrist cupped and I’ve been trying to get it flatter. I feel like that’s the best way to do that.”
Clark typically will hit between 15 and 20 shots with the coat hanger before moving into a different routine. Whether Clark brought the coat hanger from home or borrowed one from his residence this week in England remains a mystery.
What doesn’t is that he is one of the favorites heading into his week, and if he finds a way to win consecutive majors, perhaps a coat hanger will be a big reason why come Sunday.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Why was Wyndham Clark using a coat hanger on the range at the British Open? He explains
