AT 42, DARREN'S THE OLDEST
CLARET JUG WINNER SINCE 1967
FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Darren Clarke today became the oldest Open Champion since 1967 and sparked yet another party across Northern Ireland.
Just a month after Rory McIlroy became the youngest US Open winner since 1933 and a year after Graeme McDowell's triumph in the same event, Clarke joined his fellow Ulstermen in the Major club with an astonishing performance at Sandwich.
The 42 year old, 111th in the Official World Golf Ranking, lifted the Claret Jug at his 20th attempt.
He did so by three shots from Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, extending The European Tour’s record winning streak in the four Majors to six going back to Mickelson's victory in last year's Masters Tournament.
"It's incredible - it really is," said Clarke (picture above from the R and A website, becoming emotional when mention was made of his two sons, left motherless in 2006 when his wife Heather died of breast cancer.
"It's for the kids," he added.
Nobody has ever waited so long and then won The Open, yet with a closing 70 in more wind and rain Clarke finished his 54th Major with a five under par total of 275.
The former Ryder Cup star - hero of the 2006 victory six weeks after he lost his wife - could even enjoy the walk up the final fairway knowing the job was done.
He had just dropped a shot on the 17th and could even afford to three-putt the last for another bogey.
With that Clarke, with his two sons at home in Portrush, punched the air repeatedly, took his cap off and waved it to all parts and hugged caddie John Mulrooney.
Dane Thomas Bjorn, fourth this time, failed to hang on to a three shot lead with four to play on the course in 2003, but Clarke never looked like tossing away a four shot lead handed to him when Johnson went out of bounds on the 14th and Mickelson ran up four bogeys in six holes.
"I'm a bit speechless," Clarke stated. "The last couple of holes I was trying not to make stupid mistakes and just play really careful."
Mickelson, who like Clarke made his debut in 1991, had earlier charged into the joint lead by playing the first seven in an incredible five under par, but he came home in 38 and had to settle for improving his previous best Open finish of third at Royal Troon seven years ago.
Only two players have ever won their first Major when older than Clarke – 45 year old Jerry Barber at the 1961 US PGA Championship and 44 year old Roberto De Vicenzo at the 1967 Open.
And in The Open alone only three champions have been older than Clarke - De Vicenzo, Harry Vardon and Old Tom Morris.
Not that Clarke is the lowest-ranked player to triumph at Royal St George's, however. Ben Curtis was 396th eight years ago.
Clarke had the vital initial boost of a 15 foot par putt on the first, then went two ahead with a five footer on the next and three in front when he saved par on the difficult short third from nine feet and Johnson missed from six.
A drive into rough on the fourth - the hardest hole on the course all week - led to his first bogey of the day, but he could never have expected that as he parred the next he would be caught by Mickelson.
Plenty had birdied the second, but when he added another from 14 feet for only the second one all weekend on the fourth the charge was on.
Mickelson went to three under for the day by finding the target from almost 30 feet on the short sixth, then hit his second to 25 feet at the 564 yard next and eagled it to go joint top.
The weather was starting to turn nasty at that stage, but Clarke has often prospered in such conditions in the past and he did again when he answered Mickelson's eagle with one of his own from slightly shorter range.
Two in front again as a result, he stayed there with a real "luck of the Irish" moment at the 412 yard ninth when his low recovery from the left rough skipped over a bunker and found the green.
His par there took him to the turn in 33, brilliant in its own right but outshone by Mickelson's remarkable best-of-the-week 30 - and that he had missed ten foot chances at the eighth and ninth.
There was one between them when the American made an 18 footer on the next, but he missed a three foot par attempt on the next, a six footer at the 13th, had another bogey after driving into sand two holes later and three-putted the 16th.
Johnson was four back at the turn, birdied the tenth and 12th to move into second place, but then hit his second shot out of bounds down the long 14th - the hole where Swede Henrik Stenson had taken 11 earlier in the day.
His double bogey 7 gave Clarke an even bigger cushion than Bjorn had had in 2003. Bjorn could not complete the task, but Clarke did - and let the party begin.
He had just become £900,000 richer and at a stroke - or rather 275 of them - had moved back into the game's top 30.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 280 (4x70)
WINNER: CLARKE, Darren NIR 68 68 69 70 275 -5
T2 MICKELSON , Phil USA 70 69 71 68 278 -2
T2 JOHNSON, Dustin USA 70 68 68 72 278 -2
4 BJORN, Thomas DEN 65 72 71 71 279 -1
T5 CAMPBELL, Chad USA 69 68 74 69 280 Par
T5 KIM, Anthony USA 72 68 70 70 280 Par
T5 FOWLER, Rickie USA 70 70 68 72 280 Par
8 JACQUELIN, Raphael FRA 74 67 71 69 281 +1
T9 GARCIA, Sergio ESP 70 70 74 68 282 +2
T9 DYSON, Simon ENG 68 72 72 70 282 +2
T9 LOVE III, Davis USA 70 68 72 72 282 +2
T12 STRICKER, Steve USA 69 71 72 71 283 +3
T12 KAYMER, Martin GER 68 69 73 73 283 +3
T12 GLOVER, Lucas USA 66 70 73 74 283 +3
15 COETZEE, George RSA 69 69 72 74 284 +4
T16 GREEN, Richard AUS 70 71 73 71 285 +5
T16 SCHWARTZEL, Charl RSA 71 67 75 72 285 +5
T16 YANG, Y E 1SKOR 71 69 73 72 285 +5
T16 JACOBSON, Fredrik SWE 70 70 73 72 285 +5
T16 SIMPSON, Webb USA 66 74 72 73 285 +5
T16 JOHNSON, Zach USA 72 68 71 74 285 +5
T22 WATSON, Tom USA 72 70 72 72 286 +6
T22 LEHMAN, Tom USA 71 67 73 75 286 +6
T22 HANSEN, Anders DEN 69 69 72 76 286 +6
T25 MCILROY, Rory NIR 71 69 74 73 287 +7
T25 SCOTT, Adam AUS 69 70 73 75 287 +7
T25 JIMENEZ, Miguel Angel ESP 66 71 72 78 287 +7
T28 MOORE, Ryan USA 69 74 76 69 288 +8
T28 HOWELL III, Charles USA 71 70 73 74 288 +8
T30 CINK, Stewart USA 70 71 77 71 289 +9
T30 DAY, Jason AUS 71 70 76 72 289 +9
T30 WOODLAND, Gary USA 75 68 74 72 289 +9
T30 NOH, Seung-Yul SKOR 69 72 75 73 289 +9
T30 LEWIS, Tom (Amateur Silver Medal winner) ENG 65 74 76 74 289 +9
T30 WATSON, Bubba USA 69 72 74 74 289 +9
T30 LARRAZABAL, Pablo ESP 68 70 76 75 289 +9
T30 PALMER, Ryan USA 68 71 72 78 289 +9
T38 KHAN, Simon ENG 71 72 77 70 290 +10
T38 OVERTON, Jeff USA 68 71 78 73 290 +10
T38 BOYD, Gary ENG 71 70 76 73 290 +10
T38 IKEDA, Yuta JPN 69 71 75 75 290 +10
T38 ROCK, Robert ENG 69 71 74 76 290 +10
T38 IMMELMAN, Trevor RSA 70 72 72 76 290 +10
T44 LEVIN, Spencer USA 72 69 81 69 291 +11
T44 ROSE, Justin ENG 72 70 79 70 291 +11
T44 CHOI, KJ SKOR 71 72 75 73 291 +11
T44 STANLEY, Kyle USA 68 72 77 74 291 +11
T48 BOURDY, Gregory FRA 73 70 77 72 292 +12
T48 DE VRIES, Floris NED 70 73 76 73 292 +12
T48 FURYK, Jim USA 72 70 76 74 292 +12
T48 UIHLEIN, Peter (amateur) USA 71 71 75 75 292 +12
T48 ALLENBY , Robert AUS 69 72 75 76 292 +12
T48 MCEVOY, Richard ENG 69 72 75 76 292 +12
T54 CASEY, Paul ENG 74 69 78 72 293 +13
T54 SABBATINI, Rory RSA 71 70 77 75 293 +13
T54 OOSTHUIZEN, Louis RSA 72 70 74 77 293 +13
T57 HAAS, Bill USA 72 70 79 73 294 +14
T57 HAVRET, Gregory FRA 72 71 78 73 294 +14
T57 BARNES , Ricky USA 68 74 78 74 294 +14
T57 ANDERSSON HED, Fredrik SWE 68 75 77 74 294 +14
T57 GALLACHER , Stephen SCO 70 71 77 76 294 +14
T57 VAN PELT, Bo USA 73 69 73 79 294 +14
T63 MILLAR, Matthew AUS 71 72 80 73 296 +16
T63 LUITEN, Joost NED 73 69 79 75 296 +16
T63 WILSON, Mark USA 74 68 75 79 296 +16
T66 LAWRIE, Paul SCO 73 70 81 73 297 +17
T66 MOLINARI , Edoardo ITA 69 74 76 78 297 +17
68 STENSON, Henrik SWE 72 71 75 80 298 +18
69 FRAZAR, Harrison USA 72 70 77 80 299 +19
70 FERRIE, Kenneth ENG 71 71 76 83 301 +21
71 HWANG, Jung-Gon SKOR 68 74 83 79 304 +24 Labels: OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
