Titleist Brand Ambassador Wyndham Clark entered the history books with an unwavering tee-to-green performance at The Los Angeles Country Club, trusting his Pro V1x golf ball and Titleist equipment to his first major title and second victory in 42 days.
- The 29-year-old, gaming his TSi3 driver, T200 utility, 620 CB irons and Vokey Design SM9 wedges, was the only player to finish in double-digits under par (10 under), posting rounds of 64-67-69-70 to win by one shot and hold off a trio of major champions including Titleist Brand Ambassador Cameron Smith.
- Clark, who broke through for his first PGA TOUR victory at last month’s Wells Fargo Championship, gained more than five shots off the tee (+5.44/2nd) and nearly four shots (3.92/7th) around the green, while leading the field in proximity to the hole on shots around the green (5’9’’), more than 4 feet better than the field average (9'11").
- Clark made his first PGA TOUR start of 2022 (The American Express) with a brand new bag of Titleist equipment, having played competitive clubs through his last event of ‘21 (RSM Classic).
- Over that offseason, Clark visited the Titleist Performance Institute to get dialed in to his new setup.
- In January of ‘22, when he teed off in the first round of the AmEx, Clark was ranked 249th in the Official World Ranking. Forty-six starts later, following his first major championship and two wins in his last four events, Clark has climbed to his highest position ever at No. 13. In his last nine starts, Clark has finished 6th or better five times.
- Clark finished the 2020-21 season ranked 155th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (-.364). After his U.S. Open win, he is currently 19th in that same statistic (+1.030).
- One of the most impactful changes was his driver. Playing a competitive model, Clark ended the 2020-21 campaign at 117th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, finishing with a negative strokes gained total (-.015). After putting his TSi3 9.0° model in play, he finished the following season 61 spots higher and gaining strokes off the tee (+.209).
- “I use this driver because it’s so consistent. My misses are incredible and that’s big for me...,” he said. “When you miss with the Titleist it stays within the parameters that I need to play good golf. And that’s ultimately why I use Titleist clubs, especially this driver.”
- Last week at LACC, Clark finished second in SG: Off the Tee, gaining more than five shots (+5.44).
WHAT’S IN THE BAG? | WYNDHAM CLARK
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Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: TSi3 9.0° | Accra TZ Six ST 60 M5
Utility Iron: T200 3 iron (utility build) | Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 100HY X
Irons: 620 CB 4-9 irons | True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Wedges: Vokey Design SM9 46.10F, 52.12F, 56.10S, WedgeWorks 60A wedges | True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
CLARK ON HIS PRO V1X GOLF BALL
- “Honestly, one of the most important things in a player’s bag is the golf ball. If you don’t have control of that, then it doesn’t matter how you’re swinging, how the clubs are made, whatever. The golf ball is so important, and that’s ultimately what goes into the hole. Having faith and trusting your golf ball is huge.”
- “I play [Pro V1x] because it’s kind of the perfect combination for me of launch and spin… I'm a low spin player, I have a lot of speed, but I don't spin the ball very much. And the Pro V1x, especially with my irons and driver, spins at the numbers that I want. Also, I think it's great around the greens. So I’ve always been looking for spin. And this Pro V1x gives me exactly what I need.”
- “The spin means the most to me, because I’m a low spin player, so I need the spin to help keep the ball in the air, to be able to control it better around the greens. And that's the most important thing for me. And especially out on Tour, you need to be able to have the ball to stop very quick, and that's what this ball does.”
- “What’s unique in our game is you can get the ball and your equipment dialed into the exact thing that you need. And with Titleist having different [models], I was able to find one that with my irons, spun perfectly, and with my driver, spun perfectly. And around the greens, I was able to stop it quick and do everything I wanted with it.”
- “When I tee it up, I feel very confident with my golf ball. I never feel like it’s going to fail me. And that’s huge. It’s one variable I can just check off the list that I know is not going to keep me from being the best player that I can be.”
CLARK PUTS ON SHORT GAME CLINIC WITH SM9 WEDGES
- Around LACC’s daunting green complexes, Clark relied on his Vokey Design SM9 wedges to gain nearly four shots (3.92/7th) on the field, while ranking first in proximity to the hole on shots around the green (5’9’’), more than 4 feet better than the field average (9'11").
- Said Clark on his four SM9’s (46.10F, 52.12F, 56.10S, WedgeWorks 60A): “I use the SM9s, these are incredible. Vokey's done a great job in creating a wedge that launches at the launch you want, which is kind of a lower launch, but with a ton of spin. And that’s what all of us out here strive and try to get with our wedges is that lower launch that fights through the wind. But then when it lands, it is really receptive.”
- “In the 46, I use the 10F and then the same thing pretty much with the 52, I use the F Grind, which is a little touch more bounce, so that I’m very shallow. And so when I try to hit a low trap draw or a high soft wedge, it reacts the same and doesn't dig.
- “The 56, I have the 10S which is 10 degrees of bounce and the S Grind, which has a touch less than my other wedges, 46 and 52. This is a very versatile club for me, has a ton of spin and I’m able to attack both front and backs pins with this.
- “The most important club for me, probably in my bag, is this A grind. I use the SM9 60 degree A grind, which is a low bounce 60, which I think is very versatile. And I'm able to – on tight lies, rough, wet lies, firm lies, whatever it is – I can hit the shot I want. And with the amount of spin I want, trajectory and everything. So these SM9s are I think the best wedges ever made.”
- Said Vokey Rep Aaron Dill on Clark’s lob wedge: “The 60A was a co-design project with Geoff Ogilvy. That's how it started. It was based off of Australian Sand Belt golf courses – firm and tight. It's essentially an L grind with a ribbon removed, a smooth, fast moving wedge. It's a really low bounce, close sitting wedge, built for firm and fast conditions.
- “One of the things that he really values is trajectory management, meaning he wants to launch it low. He’ll play it three-quarter shots, he’ll play it half shots, but mainly it’s kind of his greenside short game club that he’ll use a lot and it’s just become a good friend for him because he feels like he can slide into the ball easily when things are cut tight on conditions.”
Back to the Grind
Check out some sights and sounds from inside the ropes at the Travelers Championship as U.S. Open Champion Wyndham Clark prepares for TPC River Highlands. Good luck to Wyndham and the rest of #TeamTitleist in Connecticut!