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Wyndham Clark is on the precipice of winning his second U.S. Open in four years, and shockingly it is his putting leading the way. Clark has built his six-stroke lead at Shinnecock Hills via the flat stick, leading the field in strokes gained/putting through 54 holes.
Clark needed to be steady on the greens during Saturday’s third round, and a stretch of impressive par-save putts illustrate the importance. Seven-footers fell at Nos. 6 and 9. A five-footer on 10. A six-footer on 11 and a 14-footer at 13. None gimmes on shinny’s slippery putting surfaces. Miss them all and it’s a one-shot lead, not half-a-dozen.
Mind you, Clark wasn’t always so proficient on the greens. Earlier this year he was languishing 132nd in strokes gained/putting, giving away shots in six of eight starts, as he worked his way through an assortment of putters. Finally, at the Masters, Clark switched to a Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onset mallet putter that clicked.
Clark’s putter has several strips of lead tape on the bottom that virtually cover the sole to counterbalance the weight of his long, oversize Superstroke Revl Mid F/C grip. The 38-inch putter has 3 degrees of loft, a 20-degree lie angle and an estimated head weight of 400 grams.
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Quickly, Clark saw improvement, both in strokes gained and in his overall finishes. The peak came at last month’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where Clark made 13 putts of 10 feet or more for the week en route to claiming his fourth PGA Tour title. He was first in strokes gained-putting, picking up 12.565 shots on the field, first in feet of putts made at 112 per round, including 158 feet in the final round, and first in putts per green in regulation.
Not to be confused with zero-torque putters, onset putters, such as the Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue mallet that Clark used are designed with the shaft near the center line of the putter head, behind the top rail and ahead of the CG. That provides golfers with a full-face view of the ball at address and encourages more of a pulling motion instead of a push-like stroke, which Ping feels is more consistent.
This theory was first employed by Ping founder Karsten Solheim, who often used a wheelbarrow analogy to make his point. He described how much easier and more stable it was to pull a wheelbarrow over a curb instead of pushing it over the curb.
“My grandfather was a firm believer in the role CG position plays in the performance of a putter,” said Ping president and CEO John K. Solheim. “We continue to apply that philosophy today in all our putter designs. Ensuring the proper CG placement relative to the shaft axis is critical to performance. Pulling the CG provides more stability through the stroke and helps keep putts online.”
Speaking of Ping, the company might have pulled off the endorsement deal of the year, signing Clark on Monday of this week to a putter-only contract.
“Since switching to the Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset putter in April, I’ve seen significant improvement in my putting and I credit the new putter for helping me get back in the winner’s circle,” Clark said. “The white finish first got my attention and when I started rolling putts with it, it set up easily and gave me immediate confidence. I’d never used a putter with onset before, so it was a new look for me that really matches my eye. The onset combined with the top-rail dot simplifies alignment and my consistency has improved. I’m sinking more long putts than ever.”
And maybe more major championships, too.
MORE GOLF DIGEST U.S. OPEN COVERAGE
U.S. Open 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
How to watch the 2026 U.S. Open
Power Rankings: Every player in the U.S. Open field, ranked
Here’s the record prize money payout for each golfer at the U.S. Open
Video: Every hole at Shinnecock Hills
Why can't the USGA get Shinnecock Hills right? Our interactive guide explains
What’s a ‘good’ shot at Shinnecock? The difference between our editos and tour average
Breaking down Scottie Scheffler’s chances to complete the career Grand Slam
Every chip shot you’ll see at Shinnecock Hills, explained
Continue reading...
Clark needed to be steady on the greens during Saturday’s third round, and a stretch of impressive par-save putts illustrate the importance. Seven-footers fell at Nos. 6 and 9. A five-footer on 10. A six-footer on 11 and a 14-footer at 13. None gimmes on shinny’s slippery putting surfaces. Miss them all and it’s a one-shot lead, not half-a-dozen.
Mind you, Clark wasn’t always so proficient on the greens. Earlier this year he was languishing 132nd in strokes gained/putting, giving away shots in six of eight starts, as he worked his way through an assortment of putters. Finally, at the Masters, Clark switched to a Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onset mallet putter that clicked.
Clark’s putter has several strips of lead tape on the bottom that virtually cover the sole to counterbalance the weight of his long, oversize Superstroke Revl Mid F/C grip. The 38-inch putter has 3 degrees of loft, a 20-degree lie angle and an estimated head weight of 400 grams.
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us open U.S. Open 2026: The brilliance, frustration and resilience of Scottie Scheffler Quickly, Clark saw improvement, both in strokes gained and in his overall finishes. The peak came at last month’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where Clark made 13 putts of 10 feet or more for the week en route to claiming his fourth PGA Tour title. He was first in strokes gained-putting, picking up 12.565 shots on the field, first in feet of putts made at 112 per round, including 158 feet in the final round, and first in putts per green in regulation.
Not to be confused with zero-torque putters, onset putters, such as the Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue mallet that Clark used are designed with the shaft near the center line of the putter head, behind the top rail and ahead of the CG. That provides golfers with a full-face view of the ball at address and encourages more of a pulling motion instead of a push-like stroke, which Ping feels is more consistent.
This theory was first employed by Ping founder Karsten Solheim, who often used a wheelbarrow analogy to make his point. He described how much easier and more stable it was to pull a wheelbarrow over a curb instead of pushing it over the curb.
“My grandfather was a firm believer in the role CG position plays in the performance of a putter,” said Ping president and CEO John K. Solheim. “We continue to apply that philosophy today in all our putter designs. Ensuring the proper CG placement relative to the shaft axis is critical to performance. Pulling the CG provides more stability through the stroke and helps keep putts online.”
Speaking of Ping, the company might have pulled off the endorsement deal of the year, signing Clark on Monday of this week to a putter-only contract.
“Since switching to the Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset putter in April, I’ve seen significant improvement in my putting and I credit the new putter for helping me get back in the winner’s circle,” Clark said. “The white finish first got my attention and when I started rolling putts with it, it set up easily and gave me immediate confidence. I’d never used a putter with onset before, so it was a new look for me that really matches my eye. The onset combined with the top-rail dot simplifies alignment and my consistency has improved. I’m sinking more long putts than ever.”
And maybe more major championships, too.
MORE GOLF DIGEST U.S. OPEN COVERAGE
U.S. Open 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
How to watch the 2026 U.S. Open
Power Rankings: Every player in the U.S. Open field, ranked
Here’s the record prize money payout for each golfer at the U.S. Open
Video: Every hole at Shinnecock Hills
Why can't the USGA get Shinnecock Hills right? Our interactive guide explains
What’s a ‘good’ shot at Shinnecock? The difference between our editos and tour average
Breaking down Scottie Scheffler’s chances to complete the career Grand Slam
Every chip shot you’ll see at Shinnecock Hills, explained
Continue reading...
