Clarke loving life at the top

DARREN CLARKE has been here before but it has been such a long and unlikely route back to the top of a British Open leaderboard that when he was cheered up the 18th at Royal St George’s yesterday there was an air of a long-lost son returning.

Clarke is back where he belongs for the first time since the 1997 Open at Troon, when rounds of 67 and 66 gave him a share of the 18-hole lead and outright ownership of the 36-hole lead.

He finished runner-up back then, outlasted by American Justin Leonard, whose final-round 65 took the Claret Jug back to Texas.

It was one of three top-10 finishes for Clarke, who also came very close in 2001 with a third at Royal Lytham & St Anne’s but yesterday’s second consecutive two-under-par 68 of the week rolled back the years for golfer and fans alike.

“It’s been great, the support I’ve had the first two days has been fantastic,” Clarke said. “The shouting and roaring, it’s been a while but it’s been very enjoyable, and it’s definitely helped.”

Clarke goes into today’s third round tied at four under par with 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover, who followed his opening 66 with a 70, while his Irish rival’s card depicted a rollercoaster ride as bumpy as the fairways at Sandwich, his 68 delivered courtesy of five birdies, an eagle, three bogeys, a double bogey and eight pars.

Yet he now stands 36 holes from finally realising his dream and the prize his talent always deserved, even if it would be long overdue.

“It would mean an awful lot, but obviously this is only after two rounds,” the 42-year-old said. “There’s an awful long way to go yet, and I believe the forecast for the weekend is very, very poor, which I quite look forward to.

“But the course is going to play very, very tough. If that’s the case, then the tournament is still wide open for an awful lot of players. So there’s still two days of tough golf and tough weather ahead of us.”

Despite long periods in the doldrums with his game, Clarke was never in any doubt he would once again ascend the top of the ladder in a major.

“I think if you ask any professional whenever they’re not playing as well as they think they should be, we all get annoyed and frustrated with it. But I’ve been around long enough obviously, and won I don’t know how many times, 20 times, 21 tournaments or so. I’ve been around the mill for a while. So it never really disappears. Just trying to get it back out again. So far this week I’ve played quite nicely.”

It is fair to say Clarke is looking forward to hearing more shouting and roaring from the Royal St George’s galleries, although he cautioned: “The only roar is in response to good shots, so I’d better keep hitting good shots, otherwise there won’t be too many roars.

“It’s an awful long way to go to Sunday, but no, I’m in a position which I’m very pleased to be in, and I want to keep getting better and better and better. Hopefully come Sunday get myself right in the mix.

“On this golf course, anything can happen. But right now, I’m very pleased where I’m at.”

Should Clarke actually get over the line, the emotion of the moment would inevitably draw comparisons with those tearful scenes at The K Club five years ago, when the Irishman, in mourning for his wife Heather, who had died from cancer just weeks before, helped Europe win the Ryder Cup. It was an immense trial that he somehow managed to come through but Clarke does not see a potential repeat, or anything like them.

“No, absolutely not. Nothing could be more difficult than that particular week. And we had a good result at the end of the week, so it wasn’t too bad. I wouldn’t say it’s a breeze, but nothing would be more difficult than it was at The K Club.”