GOLF.com: Wyndham Clark's gear-free win at the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson — driver and putter overhaul made the difference

Wyndham Clark captured the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson for his first PGA Tour victory in two years — and his first as a gear free agent after parting ways with Titleist at the end of 2025.

Driver: Sacrificing Distance for Accuracy

After cycling through four drivers in his first five events of the season, Clark settled on the TaylorMade Qi4D. This week, he made a late adjustment — switching to an unreleased Project X Titan Yellow shaft and tweaking the lie angle upright to trade a touch of distance for improved accuracy. The result: SG: Off the Tee of +4 strokes, ranking 6th in the field at TPC Craig Ranch. It also marks the Qi4D's first non-contract win on Tour.

TaylorMade Tour Rep Adrian Rietveld noted the shaft added around 100–200 RPM of spin, which at Clark's ball speed translated to tighter dispersion rather than any meaningful distance loss.

Putter: 12.5 Strokes Gained on the Greens

Clark's putter journey was equally eventful this season. After experimenting with several models, he landed on the Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset CB — a counterbalanced version adopted at the RBC Heritage. The putter's five degrees of toe hang helped neutralize his left miss, and at Byron Nelson he led the entire field with over +12.5 SG: Putting.

Irons and Wedges: Titleist Stays

Despite leaving the Titleist family as a staff player, Clark retained the brand's irons and wedges — T200s (4–5i), T100s (6–9i), and Vokey SM11 wedges — along with the Pro V1x ball. A pragmatic approach: keep what works.

Strokeslab Take

Clark's win is a compelling data point for the gear-free agent debate. Freed from contract obligations, he optimized every piece of equipment for his specific misses — and the SG numbers across multiple categories reflected that alignment.