The Open Championship: Why was Wyndham Clark practicing with a coat hanger?

When you're a two-time U.S. Open champion, you get a whole lot of benefit of the doubt. After all, you've proven you have what it takes to win, so the rest of the field and the gallery ought to be modeling what you're doing, no matter how weird it might be. 

That said, Wyndham Clark took unconventional practice routines to a new level on Monday at Royal Birkdale when he stepped to the practice range and busted out … a wooden coat hanger. Yes, really:

Granted, this is a sport where players use everything from pool cues to pool noodles to help tighten up their swings, so a coat hanger isn't the strangest swing aid. Still, where exactly did this idea come from? 

Clark, who won the U.S. Open at Shinnecock last month, spoke to the media after his range session and explained. 

"You won't see me doing a bunch of that stuff the rest of the week," he said. "My swing's gotten a little off. I kind of hit it kind of crappy [at last week's Genesis Scottish Open]. 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." (For the record, Clark finished at -9, T13 and eight strokes off Tom Kim's winning score at the Scottish.) 

Clark later said he and his swing coach settled on the hanger technique, and he'll typically hit 15 to 20 shots with it in his hands. 

Expect to see these marketed soon with some goofy name like the "Velo Triangle" and a retail price of $199. Clark better get a piece of that action. 

In semi-related news, this year's Open Championship introduced a new slate of expectations for both fan and player conduct. Clark has more than a little experience with both, most recently last month at Shinnecock where he was the target of considerable fan abuse on his major-winning Sunday. "They were giving me everything they got," Clark said Monday, "and I felt like I overcame all of the challenges."

The American also did a little bit of preliminary PR work with the British crowds: "They're the best. I think any golfer will tell you they love playing over here," he said. "The fans really respect the game, they respect the players, and they really understand golf. If you hit it into a tough spot and make the correct play or the smart play, the prudent play, they clap; they understand sometimes 20 feet is a great shot. So, yeah, I really enjoy the fans over here."

On the other side of the equation, players will now be held to a much more specific level of conduct during the tournament. Clark smashed a locker at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont and lost his temper during the 2025 PGA Championship and smashed his driver. If a player does something similar again, penalties await, via the R&A, the Open Championship's organizing body:

"If a player's (or their caddie's) behavior is so far removed from what is expected in the spirit of the game of golf," the R&A has said in a statement, "in accordance with Rule 1.2b, the Chief Referee, in consultation with the Chief Championships Officer, may issue an official warning or apply a penalty of two strokes or disqualification, taking account of the frequency, impact or potential impact, intent and severity of the misconduct.  An official warning does not need to be given prior to applying a penalty of two strokes or disqualification."

Clark tees off at 10:04 a.m. ET Thursday alongside Cameron Young and Ludvig Aberg (full tee times here). The coat hanger, presumably, will be back in his flat.