Ewan Murray: Darren Clarke took wrong route after 2010 Open victory

In spite of his disappointing performance at Wentworth last week, Rory McIlroy will inevitably be very much the focus of attention at Royal County Down this week. Even so, the fans and television viewers will also keep more than one eye on several other Irishmen, and most especially Darren Clarke, Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington.

A chat with Ewen Murray, Sky Sports’ lead golf commentator, confirmed he, too, will be fascinated by how they cope with the vagaries of the Newcastle links and the expectation of the Irish galleries. Murray was Clarke’s coach at one stage, so knows the Ulsterman’s game better than most, while he has had Lowry under close observation since he commentated on his win in the Irish Open as an amateur in 1999.

In one way, Murray is clearly proud of what Clarke has achieved, in another he is less than impressed at how he has performed since his great Open victory at Royal St Georges in 2010.