Wyndham Clark’s search for a new driver helped win the US Open

Wyndham Clark won the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills with a TaylorMade Qi4D golf bag with a Project X Titan Yellow shaft for his second win in less than a month. He fielded four different driver combinations this year, including the unique Qi4D + Titan Yellow layout that won the CJ Cup.

Here are the last changes to his US Open-winning driver setup, including accidentally stepping into the lead-tape army.

In the CJ Cup, Clark won with a TaylorMade Qi4D 10.5º driver and a Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX golf shaft with a length of 45.00″. That shaft change came from the Titan Black he played last week and was completed the night before he played in the CJ Cup. I can say that the change has worked considering his two victories in four weeks of time. But at the RBC Canadian Open, he finally changed from that 10.5º head to a 9º one.

Let’s do some gear nerd math here together. Clark’s driver weighs 3g in the toe and rear and 9g in the heel and rear. This is 2g lighter than the stock weights (2) 9g weights and (2) 4g weights, which loses a point of swingweight. TaylorMade Tour Rep Adrian Rietveld then added 8g of hot melt to the head on the heel side of the driver slightly back-center of the head. That 8g adds about 4 points of swingweight for a total of 3 points of added swingweight. Assuming the driver is about D2 stock with his 45.00″ cut length that means with the Titan Black on the driver he was probably swinging his driver at a D5 swingweight, which would be considered too big by most standards.

By switching to the balanced Titan Yellow, the driver drops down to his D3 playing weight which is the most “normal” swingweight for the driver. The beauty of switching to Titan Yellow was that he didn’t really have to switch his feelings to Titan Black, but the performance benefits were immediate. In my testing, this was the biggest advantage I found when comparing the two shafts. I was impressed with the yellow. Compared to Black, he added just a touch more spin and launch at a 10.5º head. He revealed that he may have sacrificed some distance in doing so, but his confidence in hitting the fairways increased significantly. Remember his “range loss” is probably equivalent to going from about 320 to about 310, or something along those lines.

I asked Project X’s Jackson Bragg about the feel of the similarities between Titan Black and Titan Yellow. Usually with the opposite part you have to sacrifice some feeling. The handle is really stiff because of the extra weight and material under the hands to create that high balance point. The answer lies in their new Synex products; a brand new multi-axial carbon fiber matrix that they say strengthens the outer structure and increases hoop stiffness without adding extra material. Jackson (who helps design the Titan family of shafts) thankfully gave me the coolest gear dork answer.

“Synex technology has been released in Titan Black as a way to maintain durability while delivering a smoother, more flexible feel in the grip than our previous HZRDUS offers. It is particularly highlighted by the EI Bump from the grip to the mid-section, new to the Project X range for 2026. With Yellow, our aim was to make the club very long without a strong balance, without a strong grip. a balanced profile, where more mass is added to the handle they are the ones who pinpoint the balance point Synex let’s move the perfect point from Titan Black to Titan Yellow without the handle feeling stiff or unresponsive. Throughout the Titan family, the increased EI bump is paired with a stiff center handle that balances the ability to get the Yellow pattern out of the ball with mass placement in the clubhead resulting in more speed and control.”

Thanks to physics we also know that a heavier driver head swinging at the same speed will produce a greater ball speed. So that works for him too. It seems that this combination of drivers really beat Wyndham with a win in his first week. So why did he switch to the US Open?

At the Canadian Open he ended up swapping the 10.5º head for a 9º of the same model, built the same way. You set the shaft on the straight side of the sleeve with a slightly lower loft, like 10.5º and usually a visual thing. Rietveld told me that Clark you have seeing a face that opens up a little, is one of his things that don’t talk. By going down to a 9º head they were able to drop him from 2800rpms of spin down to 2400rpms of spin, which resulted in a slightly softer flight that didn’t reach its maximum height and both carried and came out a bit more. The 9º head we saw in play at the US Open also had lead tape on it compared to the hot melt they used on the 10.5º head. Why? No equipment trucks at the RBC Canadian Open! They didn’t have access to a hot melt gun, so they had to stay old school and remove the tape.

Project X Titan Black Wood Shaft

You can only change so many times. Then you have to rename. Designed and engineered in our R&D Lab in San Diego, CA, the Titan Black is built to meet the needs of today’s fast, aggressive skaters. The elastic handle section continues continuously through the center and tip, delivering a smooth feel with extra durability where it matters most. Synex Technology uses multi-axial carbon fibers to strengthen the outer structure of the shaft, increasing the stiffness of the hoop from the handle in the middle section for efficient power transfer and improved control. Combining feel and stability, the Titan Black gives players the confidence to swing faster without sacrificing dispersion or consistency.

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You may also have noticed that you have weight on your heel. That combined with sitting on the straight side of the sleeve creates what we would assume is the construction of a high-drag driver, but Clark likes to cut. In his case it’s actually almost a straight ball. This is one of the kind of cheat code setups that Johnny and I talk about a lot on the podcast. Building something on paper that does one thing you know you want to take those benefits and do the opposite. Setting up a draw-bias for a player who likes to work the ball from left to right creates a nice little draw mechanism in the hands of the right athlete. Knowing that his path will be a little from the outside and the face will want to open a little and take the weight and move to the heel to ensure that the driver’s head is effectively stabilized “square” through impact.

Much of what I have gathered here leads me to speculate about what went down this year for Clark, and why he has had recent success. Remember that Clark has never been shy about his mental health issues and his desire to find peace while standing over a golf ball. To be clear, this is entirely my take; I did not endorse this to any of the reps or anyone in Clark’s camp. Combined with the success he’s had playing the Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset that’s literally built and designed to calm the mind, and his reliance on confidence-inspiring performance changes, I think this driver search ended up being a really good example of putting the crumb to the finish line.

Playing off the spin off the tee can be very, very comfortable. It’s something I’ve done for many years. I like to have spin because I feel more in control of the golf ball. Clark wasn’t playing well at the end of last year, or at the beginning of this year, but he was taking the right steps to make changes with people he trusted. He has worked with the Project X team for a long time and trusts their guidance with the new product. In fact, the last time a Project X shaft won a major was his other US Open win at LACC. Once he switched to the 10.5º Qi4D and Titan Black, he began to find his confidence and feel.

So you take that successful combination and tweak it a little bit. Change the shaft to add a touch of spin and focus on hitting more fairways. Win the tournament. Take that newfound confidence and roll it into a little tweak. He switches to a 9º head and everything else remains the same, and now he’s back in almost identical launch conditions and he’s going home tonight with a US Open cup to fill with grapes.

The moral of the story here for any learning heads is that it’s okay to screw up, even if you’re doing well. However, there is a proper way to do things, and it never hurts to be supervised. I won’t think seriously about changing my wallet anymore unless it’s being monitored by one of my trusted appraisers, and who knows when to tell me something is illegal. I have access to some amazing people, but anyone can do the same. I always recommend that you find a co-worker in your area that you really get along with, and stick with them as you make changes. Having someone in your corner who really knows your swing, your likes and dislikes, and what you might suggest testing is a huge help.