Darren Clarke
Name:
Darren Christopher ClarkeAlso known as:
ClarkeyCountry:
N. IrelandBorn:
Aug 14, 1968 in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, N. Ireland.Original/Home Club:
Dungannon GC, N. IrelandOccupation:
Professional golferTurned Pro:
1990Website:
https://www.darrenclarke.comMAJORS (1): The Open (2011). SENIOR MAJORS (1): The Senior Open (2022). Ryder Cup player (1997, '99, 2002, '04, '06). Ryder Cup captain (2016). Multiple wins on the European Tour (14), PGA Tour (3), World Golf Championships (2), Japan Tour (3), Asian Tour (1) and Sunshine Tour (1), and on the European and PGA Senior Tours. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (2012).
Together with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Fred Daly and Ronan Rafferty, Darren Clarke stands out as one of the greatest professional golfers from Northern Ireland. Unlike the others, Clarke honed his golfing skills stateside, attending college at Wake Forest University in North Carolina in 1987. He turned professional in 1990 and played his first full European Tour season in 1991.
Clarke's illustrious playing career saw him become a legendary Ryder Cup player, culminating in his 2006 appearance, six weeks after the death of his wife Heather. Contributing three points from his three matches, he was warmly embraced by players on both sides as Europe went about recording a famous 18.5 to 9.5 points victory at Ireland's K Club.
In winning the Open Championship (2011) and the Senior Open Championship (2022), Clarke became only the fourth player after Bob Charles (NZ), Gary Player (RSA) and Tom Watson (USA) to have his name on both of these iconic trophies.
Clarke was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2012. He currently lives in Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Majors
R&A
The Senior Open presented by Rolex (35th) (July 21-24). Second-placed Pádraig Harrington (Ire) finished 1 shot behind Darren Clarke (N.Ire), who recorded his first senior major championship win. Clarke became only the fourth player after Bob Charles (NZ), Gary Player (RSA) and Tom Watson (USA) to win both The Open championship (2011) and the Senior Open championship (2022). [King's course, Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder, Perthshire].
America
Sanford Health
Played as the Sanford International presented by Cambria (Sept 17-19). Darren Clarke (N.Ire) beat Kyoung-Ju "KJ" Choi (S Kor) with a birdie at the second playoff hole (par-4 18th). Steve Flesch (USA) was eliminated at the first playoff hole. [Minnehaha CC, Sioux Falls, South Dakota].
America
Mitsubishi
Played as the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai (Jan 21-23; PGA Tour Champions season-opener). Second-placed Retief Goosen (RSA) finished 2 shots behind Darren Clarke (N.Ire), who recorded his second PGA Tour Champions win. [Hualālai course, Hualālai Resort, Big Island, Hawaii].
America
TimberTech
Played as the TimberTech Championship (Oct 30-Nov 1). Second-placed Jim Furyk (USA) and defending champion Bernhard Langer (Ger) finished 1 shot behind 52-year-old Darren Clarke (N.Ire). Clarke recorded his first PGA Tour Champions win in his 40th start on the Tour. [Old Course, Broken Sound Club, Boca Raton, FL].
Europe
Iberdrola
Played as the Iberdrola Open (May 12-15; next played as the Mallorca Golf Open in 2021). Second-placed Chris Wood (Eng) and David Lynn (Eng) finished 3 shots behind Darren Clarke (N.Ire), who claimed his 13th win on the European Tour. [Pula GC, Son Servera, Mallorca, Spain].
Majors
R&A
The Open Championship (140th) (July 14-17). Second-placed Phil Mickelson (USA) and Dustin Johnson (USA) finished 3 shots behind Clarke (N.Ire). This was the first win in a major championship for the popular 42-year-old Irishman. [Royal St George's GC, Sandwich, Kent].
Europe
KLM
Played as the KLM Open (Aug 21-14). Second-placed Paul McGinley (Ire) finished 4 shots behind fellow Irishman Clarke (N.Ire). [Kennemer G&CC, Zandvoort, Netherlands].
Asia
BMW
Played as the BMW Asian Open (April 24-27; Asian/Eurpn Trs event). Second-placed Robert-Jan Derksen (Neth) finished 1 shot behind Clarke (N.Ire), who enjoyed his first European Tour win in almost 5 years. [Tomson GC, Pudong, Shanghai, China].
Japan
Mitsui Sumitomo
Played as the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters (Nov 10-13; Japan Tr event). Second-placed Mitsuhiro Tateyama (Jpn) finished 2 shots behind defending champion Clarke (N.Ire), who recorded the last of his three Japan Tour wins. [Gotemba course, Taiheiyo Club, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Jpn].
Japan
Mitsui Sumitomo
Played as the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters (Nov 11-14; Japan Tr event). Second-placed Lee Westwood (Eng) and Nozomi Kawahara (Jpn) finished 6 shots behind wire-to-wire winner Clarke (N.Ire), who recorded his second Japan Tour win. [Gotemba course, Taiheiyo Club, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Jpn].
WGC
NEC
Played as the WGC-NEC Invitational (Aug 21-24). Second-placed Jonathan Kaye (USA) finished 4 shots behind Clarke (N. Ire). [South course, Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio].
Europe
Compass
Played as the Compass Group English Open (June 6-9). Second-placed Søren Hansen (Den) finished 3 shots behind Darren Clarke (N.Ire), who won this title for the third time in four years. [Arden course, Forest of Arden CC, Meriden, nr Birmingham].
Japan
x
Played as The Crowns - International Invitation Golf (April 26-29; Japan Tr event; aka the Chunichi Crowns). Second-placed Keiichiro Fukabori (Jpn) and Shinichi Yokota (Jpn) finished 4 shots behind first-time Japan Tour winner Clarke (N.Ire). [Wago course, Nagoya GC, Aichi, Japan].
Europe
Smurfit
Played as the Smurfit European Open (July 5-8). Second-placed Thomas Bjørn (Den), Ian Woosnam (Wales) and Pádraig Harrington (Ire) finished 3 shots behind Darren Clarke (N.Ire). [Palmer North course, K Club, Straffan, nr Dublin].
Africa
Dimension Data
Played as the Dimension Data Pro-Am (Feb 1-4; Sunshine Tr 2000/01 season). Second-placed Tjaart van der Walt (RSA) and Retief Goosen (RSA) finished 2 shots behind Clarke (N.Ire). [Gary Player CC, Sun City Resort, North West Prov, RSA].
WGC
Andersen Consulting
Played as the WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship (Feb 23-27). Clarke (N.Ire) beat Tiger Woods (USA) 4 and 3 in the 36-hole final. [Champions course, La Costa Resort, Carlsbad, Calif.]
Europe
Compass
Played as the Compass Group English Open (June 1-4). Second-placed Michael Campbell (NZ) and Mark James (Eng) finished 1 shot behind defending champion Darren Clarke (N.Ire). [Arden course, Forest of Arden CC, Meriden, nr Birmingham].
Europe
Compass
Played as the Compass Group English Open (June 3-6). Second-placed John Bickerton (Eng) finished 2 shots behind Darren Clarke (N.Ire), who recorded his fifth European Tour win. [Hanbury Manor CC, Ware, Herts].
Awards
Eurpn Tr
Clarke (N.Ire) recorded the season's lowest stroke average on the European Tour. Colin Montgomerie (Scot) was second with 69.66; Lee Westwood (Eng) was third with 69.85.
Europe
Volvo
Played as the Volvo Masters (Oct 29-Nov 1; Eurpn Tr season-ending event). Second-placed Andrew Coltart (Scot) finished 2 shots behind Clarke (N.Ire). [Montecastillo Resort, Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, Spain].
Europe
Benson & Hedges
Played as the Benson & Hedges International Open (May 14-17). Second-placed Santiago Luna (Esp) finished 3 shots behind Clarke (N.Ire). [The Oxfordshire, Milton Common, nr Oxford].
Europe
Linde
Played as the Linde German Masters (Oct 3-6). Second-placed Mark Davis (Eng) finished 1 shot behind Clarke (N.Ire), who recorded his second European Tour win. [Berliner G&CC Motzener See, Motzen, nr Berlin].
Europe
Alfred Dunhill
Played as the Alfred Dunhill Open (Oct 7-10). Second-placed Vijay Singh (Fiji) and Nick Faldo (Eng) finished 2 shots behind first-time European Tour winner Clarke (N.Ire). [Royal Zoute GC, Knokke-Heist, West Flanders, Belgium].
Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).
Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24).
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Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.
Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.
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