Darren nails down legacy
I first met and played against Clarke in the West of Ireland in 1985 and even at the tender age of 16, you could see he possessed all the attributes necessary to become a very good professional golfer. That relationship continued on to the European Tour with ‘fourball Tuesdays’ when Clarke and Paul McGinley would take on myself and Eoghan O’Connell.
During that time, it was fantastic to observe (with some envy) at first hand his progression through the paid ranks from rookie to one of the main stalwarts of the European Tour, a position he has retained for much of the past couple of decades.
From the word go, he has always been renowned and respected as a great ball striker, but unlike the Americans who place all their emphasis on length off the tee, his strengths have been in his ability to shape and control the trajectory of his ball flight. That strength proved invaluable in the trying and often brutal conditions he experienced over the weekend. By his own admission, if Darren does have a slight weakness in his game then it is with his putting and his own volatility on the course.
Yesterday could have been a nervy old day for Darren, but if it was, he certainly didn’t show it.
As the most naturally gifted golfer of his generation on this island, he would have been quietly smarting that others have reached the “holy grail” and won five major championships before him.
The fact he has company in that department (Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie) would have been of little comfort. For Darren, the longer the wait, the harsher the judgments were likely to be over time. Yesterday it was important his attitude was right because it, more than anything, would determine the outcome of the British Open.
An uncertain start on the first, where he had to hole out superbly for par from 15 feet would have settled the nerves. This was followed by a birdie and a par, which gave him a good foundation for the rest of the round. The charge came from an unlikely source in Phil Mickelson. Lefty’s run was something you would expect to see at Augusta but his effort over the first 10 holes here was still truly remarkable. But pressure is everything in golf and given Darren’s imperious striking, his unflappable disposition and ultimately his eagle on the seventh, Phil eventually blinked first. Darren had survived his first real test.
His second came late from Dustin Johnson but once again Clarke held his nerve. At times he rode his luck, bouncing the bunker on the ninth, but he never blinked and when Johnson carelessly hit it out of bounds on 14, I felt that the tournament was his.
Last night Darren gave due recognition to a lot of people and rightly so, but perhaps the greatest recognition was to Bob Rotella, for the psychological work he did with Clarke this week. As someone who feels he can comment on this, I found the transition in Darren’s demeanour, his attitude and his self-belief remarkable. He took on the responsibility and brought a consistent level of energy, intensity and attitude to the British Open that we have not seen from him before.
We all knew he was talented enough to win. What no one knew was whether he possessed the conviction to quell those inner demons. We need not have worried. He made few unforced errors and his dominant performance put a lot of pressure on the opposing players. That was huge in the context of the eventual outcome of the tournament.
Much of Darren’s popular appeal comes from the fact that he has been unfairly tagged a bit of a flawed character; someone who has very publicly experienced the many highs and lows that life has to offer. Yet people do identify with him, especially with his warmth of spirit. This is an incredible achievement, considering that Clarke hasn’t had a top-10 finish in any major for a decade. His coronation as British Open champion now secures his golfing legacy. Now that he has the famous Claret Jug in his possession, life could well become even more interesting for Darren Clarke!
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