Darren Clarke, Open champion at 42. How does that sound? How does that feel?
Major success: Darren Clarke claime dhsi first major victory with an exceptional final round of the Open at Royal St George’s Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Clarke will be putting that question to himself an awful lot over the coming days as he adjusts to life as the owner of the Claret Jug.
He described himself as a normal bloke, a fun-loving chap who likes a pint and plays a bit of golf. Aren’t we all, Darren, except none of us are supping from the oldest pot in golf and taking texts from Tiger Woods..
Clarke is the seventh player to win his maiden major in his forties, the first Briton to triumph at The Open for 12 years, the first to claim the Open at the 20th attempt and the second golfer from Northern Ireland in a month to win one of golf’s platinum prizes.
The crowd was 10 deep coming up the last. He had a few holes to absorb the atmosphere, to cast an eye across the scene to gain a sense of what awaited him.
He is an emotional man. He wrote his name in tears on the Ryder Cup in 2006, helping Europe to victory at the K Club in Dublin a month after his wife, Heather, lost her battle with breast cancer. He would honour her memory in his victory address.