A Cherry Hills Country Club instructor quietly helped Denver native Wyndham Clark rebuild his swing last fall, and the payoff showed up on golf's loudest stage. Clark held off a late charge at Shinnecock Hills to win his second U.S. Open and claim a rare repeat major, powered by a tune-up that started far from any TV cameras.
The coach in Clark’s corner
Pat Coyner, the director of instruction at Cherry Hills, began working with Clark in September 2025 and spotted a recurring issue with the lead wrist that was causing Clark to over-rotate and open the clubface. "His lead wrist had really gotten into a lot of extension," Coyner said, which left Clark with a long backswing and an inconsistent start line, according to GOLF. To clean that up, Coyner said he shortened Clark's arm swing and added width in the downswing to regain face control.
Back to basics on the range
On the range, the work was intentionally low-tech. Coyner leaned on alignment drills using a simple length of string and wrist-conditioning tools to retrain Clark's feel and timing, according to Golf Monthly. The pair focused on repeatable visuals instead of flashy swing overhauls so Clark could trust his start lines when the wind kicked up. Coaches say small mechanical gains like that can have oversized effects when course management is the difference between winning and chasing.
Homegrown edge
Clark grew up playing at Cherry Hills and was made an honorary member there last year, so the partnership with Coyner felt like a natural fit in Colorado golf circles, according to the Colorado Golf Association. Local coverage from the Denver Gazette noted that Clark used a quieter, technical offseason to reset after a rough 2025, a reset that helped set the stage for his run at Shinnecock. For Cherry Hills members, his win reads like validation of the club’s teaching program and its long-standing place in Colorado golf lore.
What it means for Cherry Hills
Clark’s one-shot victory at Shinnecock was widely chronicled in national outlets, with the Associated Press tracking his final-round fight to hold the lead, according to AP News. 9News produced a video segment spotlighting Coyner’s role at Cherry Hills and the local connection to Clark’s preparation, as shown in 9News. For a club that prides itself on fundamentals, the result underscores how a quiet, basics-first rebuild can still end up as major-championship hardware on Sunday night.
