Masters 2026: This is the exact golf practice formula of a Masters contender

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Nobody prepared smarter than Wyndham Clark ahead of the 2026 Masters. The stats back it up. When DataGolf's model estimated what types of shots Clark would face at Augusta National, his preparation matched it almost exactly.

He was, in a word, optimizing his time.

The early returns are good. His four-under 68 during the second round vaulted him into contention at the 2026 Masters.

Clark wasn't as deep into the statistical weeds as I am, of course. Like most pros he was acting on instinct and general golf IQ. But there is a method to the madness, and after his round on Friday at Augusta National, I asked him about it.

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So how does the best practicer at the 2026 Masters practice? Like this:

3 practice phases

Wyndham had five practice sessions in the three days leading up to the Masters, and outside of one longer session (we'll get to that), most of his practice sessions spanned about 30 minutes:

• April 6: 43 balls, 31 mins
• April 7: 49 balls, 31 mins
• April 8: 65 balls, 34 mins

Interestingly, within each of these typical practice sessions are three distinct phases — something Wyndham spoke to after his second round:

"I'm probably more intentional here than most just because of some of the shapes you've got to hit into the greens or off the tee," Clark said. "I always typically kind of do my drills to start and then the last probably 20 golf balls I'm kind of playing the holes or working shots, hitting fades, draws."

Phase 1: Contact-focused

Each of the above sessions starts with a contact-focused warmup phase. This phase lasts about five minutes and covers about 10 golf balls. Clark starts with short shots around 60 yards and progresses up to 165-yard shots — which for Clark is about his 8-iron.

Interestingly, during his one longer session, Clark moved through the same phased approach but would periodically return to Phase 1 at various points to reaffirm contact quality.

The goal: Focus on contact quality and face control as you start swinging the club. Phase 2: Drill-focused

Here's the drill phase Clark mentioned. This lasts between 10–15 minutes and he hits 20 to 30 golf balls along the way. Here Clark is hitting longer clubs — from his 8-iron distance all the way up to his longer irons — working through a drill or using a training aid.

"Swing-wise I was getting really long and too much lag coming into the golf ball. It was really hard to time," Clark explains. "We've gotten a little bit shorter, wider, and that's made me more consistent off the tee for sure and a lot more in control into the greens."

The goal: Find a feel, improve technique. Phase 3: Shot-focused

Finally, Clark closes out his practice sessions hitting different shots. The distance varies, but he mostly seems to focus on tee shots. He spends his final 20 balls on this phase, spanning 10 to 15 minutes — slightly more deliberate than before.

You can see in the spin axis numbers of his shots just how much these shots are moving around.

Here are a selection of shots from his final 20 balls from one of those sessions:

• −14 (draw)
• −18 (draw)
• +15 (fade)
• +15 (fade)
• −3 (straight/draw)
• +13 (fade)
• +12 (fade)
• −25 (big draw)
• −6 (draw)

The goal: Practice the shots you're about to hit on the course.

Put them all together and you've got a well-rounded Masters prep. Maybe even good enough to deliver a green jacket.