Darren Christopher Clarke, OBE (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and has previously played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won 21 tournaments worldwide on a number of golf's main tours including the PGA Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Sunshine Tour. His biggest victory came when he won the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St George's in England, his first major win after more than 20 years and 54 attempts.
| Darren Clarke OBE | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Darren Christopher Clarke |
| Born | 14 August 1968 Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 250 lb (110 kg; 18 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  Northern Ireland |
| Residence | Portrush, Northern Ireland Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2[1] |
| Career | |
| College | Wake Forest University |
| Turned professional | 1990 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions European Senior Tour |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour |
| Professional wins | 27 |
| Highest ranking | 8 (22 July 2001)[2] |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| European Tour | 14 |
| Japan Golf Tour | 3 |
| Asian Tour | 1 |
| Sunshine Tour | 1 |
| Challenge Tour | 1 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 4 |
| European Senior Tour | 1 |
| Other | 4 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | T8: 1998 |
| PGA Championship | T9: 2000 |
| U.S. Open | T10: 1999 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 2011 |
Clarke has also won two World Golf Championship events, most notably the 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, when he defeated Tiger Woods in the final. Clarke was ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for 43 weeks between 2000 and 2002.[3] His highest finish on the European Tour money list is second, which he achieved in 1998, 2000 and 2003. Clarke is currently ranked as the seventh-highest career money winner on the European Tour.[4]
Clarke has represented Ireland as both an amateur and as a professional, notably at the World Cup and Alfred Dunhill Cup, and was a member of five consecutive European Ryder Cup teams between 1997 and 2006.
Amateur career
editClarke was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and in 1987 he played collegiate golf at Wake Forest University in the United States. He was a junior member of Dungannon Golf Club, whose junior section also included three others who are current PGA Golf Professionals: Alistair Cardwell, Barry Hamill and Gary Chambers. Clarke represented his school, Royal School Dungannon, together with Cardwell and Chambers.
Professional career
edit1990–92: Early career
editClarke turned professional in 1990 and he played his first full season on the European Tour in 1991. He contested in his first major championship at the 1991 Open Championship, making the cut before finishing in a tie for 64th place. In 1992 Clarke had a solid season on the European Tour, finishing 41st in overall Order of Merit, in doing so achieving the highest finish of his career at the time with a second-place finish at the Honda Open. He finished three strokes behind champion Bernhard Langer.
1993–95: First European Tour win and steady progress
editClarke's real breakthrough year was in 1993 when he won his maiden European Tour event and played his way to 8th position on the Order of Merit. After a relatively solid but unspectacular first half of the season, Clarke's form improved greatly during the August–September stretch, achieving four top-10 finishes in four consecutive tournaments.
In October 1993, Clarke won his maiden European Tour event at the Alfred Dunhill Open in Belgium. Clarke had the lead after 54 holes and held off the challenge of Englishman Nick Faldo and Vijay Singh, who shot a final-round 64. Clarke prevailed by two strokes. A month later Clarke nearly won his second title at the European Tour's season-ending Volvo Masters, however, he was pipped to the title by Colin Montgomerie who finished one stroke clear. Overall for the season Clarke made 24 out of 30 cuts and finished in the top-10 on seven occasions.
The follow-up year in 1994 was another solid season for Clarke on the tour, making 17 of 21 cuts and finishing 37th on the Order of Merit list. Clarke also played in his first U.S. Open although he missed the cut and had his highest finish, at the time, in The Open Championship with a tie for 38th place. In 1995, Clarke had better success, with seven top-10s in 27 events, most notably at the Portuguese Open where he finished second after losing a sudden-death playoff to Adam Hunter on the first extra hole, despite having the joint 54-hole lead. Clarke ended the year 14th on the Order of Merit.
1996–1999: Four more European Tour wins and near miss at 1997 Open
editIn 1996, Clarke won his second European Tour title at the Linde German Masters by one stroke, shooting a final round 63 to finish 24 under par, one stroke ahead of Englishman Mike Davis. Clarke also recorded his best finish in a major, at that time, with a tie for 11th place at The Open Championship in 1996. He also equalled his best finish on the Order of Merit, placing in 8th for the season.
In May 1997, Clarke finished second at the Volvo PGA Championship, two strokes behind Ian Woosnam. In July 1997, Clarke was in a position to win his first major championship at the 1997 Open Championship at Royal Troon. Clarke held the lead with American Jim Furyk after the first round and then pulled two strokes clear of the field after a 66 in the second round, but a third-round 71 put him two strokes behind leader Jesper Parnevik going into the final day. However, the winner was not to come from the final pairing, as Justin Leonard came storming through the pack with a 65 to beat both Clarke and Parnevik by three strokes. Clarke ended the season 4th on the Order of Merit.
In 1998, Clarke made his first appearances at two of the biggest golf events worldwide. He missed the cut on his debut at The Players Championship, but his first visit to Augusta National Golf Club was much more successful, shooting 67–69 on the weekend to finish in a tie for 8th at the Masters Tournament. This remains his highest-ever finish at the Masters to date.
In May 1998, Clarke won his third career event on the European Tour at the Benson & Hedges International Open by three strokes from Santiago Luna. Clarke then had three more 2nd-place finishes during the season before winning the season-ending Volvo Masters in Spain. His two victories in 1998 helped him to finish in 2nd place on the final 1998 Order of Merit standings behind Colin Montgomerie. Clarke missed only one cut all year, at the Murphy's Irish Open. In 1999, Clarke captured his fifth European Tour win at the Compass Group English Open, finishing two strokes ahead of John Bickerton. He also achieved his highest-ever placing at the U.S. Open this year when he finished tied for 10th place.
2000: WGC-Matchplay Championship win and further success
editClarke's worldwide breakthrough came in 2000 when he won his first World Golf Championship event, defeating Tiger Woods in the final 4&3 at the 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship at La Costa Resort and Spa. This was Clarke's biggest victory of his career so far as he netted the $1 million first prize. Clarke had a difficult route through the championship but defeated a host of big-name players: Paul Azinger, Mark O'Meara, Thomas Bjørn, Hal Sutton and David Duval before taking on Woods in the final.[5]
Clarke's fine year in 2000 continued when he finished tied for second place in the Volvo PGA Championship and the following week he won his seventh European Tour event at the Compass Group English Open. Clarke also recorded his best finish at the PGA Championship with a tie for 9th place. He also had three 2nd-place finishes in the 2000 season, which included eleven top-10 finishes. He finished 2nd on the Order of Merit and it was his highest-ever season in terms of prize money. Clarke earned over €2.7 million for the year.
2001–03: Continued success and second WGC win
editThe 2001 season saw Clarke finish one place lower on the Order of Merit in 3rd place, although he did manage some notable results on tour during this season. Clarke added to his list of European Tour wins at the Smurfit European Open, which he won by three strokes at The K Club. A couple of weeks later, Clarke produced another fine performance at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes, finishing in a tie for 3rd place, four strokes behind the eventual winner David Duval. Clarke then had another notable 3rd-place finish at the WGC-NEC Invitational, earning in excess of €400,000.
In 2002, Clarke played on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour. In the buildup to the Masters, Clarke played the Shell Houston Open and finished second behind runaway winner Vijay Singh. He then played on the European Tour in the summer and won his ninth career title at the Compass Group English Open, becoming the first man to win the tournament three times.
In the 2003 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Clarke lost to Peter Lonard at the quarter-final stage. However, Clarke did not have to wait much longer for more WGC success though, when he won his second WGC event at the WGC-NEC Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.[6] He finished four strokes ahead of Jonathan Kaye. Clarke's run of success throughout 2001–2003 saw him miss only three cuts on the European Tour in three years and he finished 2nd on the European Order of Merit for the third time in his career.
2004: First winless season in seven years
editClarke continued his run of good form at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2004, when he finished third. He lost to Davis Love III in the semi-final on the 21st hole, but beat Stephen Leaney 2-up in the resulting 3rd place playoff match. Clarke also had a good finish at the WGC-American Express Championship, finishing in a tie for 4th place. Despite winning over $2 million in prize money, Clarke did not win an event during the 2004 season on either tour and this was the first time this had happened since 1997.
2005–2007: Loss of form and slump
editClarke played the 2005 season half and half between the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He enjoyed a solid season with many top-10 finishes, but he could not climb the final hurdle of winning an event. The highlights of his year were a 2nd-place finish at the Barclays Scottish Open in Europe and another 2nd place at the MCI Heritage in the United States. With Clarke playing much fewer tournaments on the European Tour he only finished 20th on the Order of Merit compared to his previous success in this category.
In 2006, Clarke only managed to record four top-10 placings and finished the year 43rd on the Order of Merit. However, just six weeks after the death of his wife, Heather, he made a big contribution to Europe's Ryder Cup win in 2006 at the K Club in Ireland. Clarke was one of Ian Woosnam's two wild card picks and he earned three points on the way to victory for Europe, including a 3 & 2 win in his singles match against Zach Johnson. The 2007 season was the worst of Clarke's professional career. He did not record any top-10 finishes. He withdrew from a number of events in the year and finished 143rd on the Order of Merit list.
2008: Return to form
editClarke ended his winless streak in April 2008 when he won the BMW Asian Open in an emotional victory after a birdie on the 72nd hole to see off Robert-Jan Derksen by one stroke. This was Clarke's first win in almost five years and the 11th of his career. The win broke the shackles from the slump in form he went through in the previous years and his 12th victory was not far around the corner. Clarke won again in the Netherlands at the KLM Open finishing the tournament four shots ahead of Paul McGinley. Clarke ended his comeback year 13th in the Order of Merit Standings, however, he missed out on a place in Nick Faldo's Ryder Cup team, the first time Clarke had done so in over 10 years.
2009–10: Consistent play
editThe 2009 and 2010 seasons were steady in progress for Clarke as he began to rebuild his form following the successful 2008 season. He only managed to record three top-10 finishes during the whole of 2009, most notably tying for 5th place in the defence of his KLM Open title in the Netherlands. Clarke finished 61st in the Race to Dubai Standings and missed out a place in the season-ending finale narrowly by finishing outside the top 60. In 2010, however, he did make it into the Dubai Finals after finishing 30th at the end of the year. He was aided by two second-place finishes throughout the season at the Joburg Open behind winner Charl Schwartzel and then at the Barclays Scottish Open ending up three strokes behind Edoardo Molinari.
2011: Open Championship victory
editIn 2011, Clarke won his first European Tour title since August 2008 with a three-stroke victory over Chris Wood and David Lynn in the Iberdrola Open.[7][8] After finishing tied for third in the 2001 Open Championship, Clarke did not make the top-10 of any major, until he won his first major championship at the 2011 Open at the age of 42 – his 20th attempt at winning the Claret Jug.[9]
Clarke dedicated his victory to his two children and late wife Heather, who died of breast cancer in 2006: "In terms of what's going through my heart, there's obviously somebody who is watching from up above there, and I know she'd be very proud of me. But I think she'd be more proud of my two boys and them at home watching more than anything else. It's been a long journey to get here."[10][11]
With Clarke's triumph in The Open at Royal St George's, it was the first time since 1910 that one country (other than the United States) had different golfers win consecutive majors.[12] Rory McIlroy, also of Northern Ireland, captured the 2011 U.S. Open title one month earlier at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. Clarke's victory at the 2011 Open meant that he became the third major winner from Northern Ireland in 13 months, following Graeme McDowell's win in the 2010 U.S. Open and Rory McIlroy's victory in the 2011 U.S. Open, prompting McIlroy to quip that Northern Ireland was the 'Golf Capital of the World'.[13]
PGA Tour Champions
editIn November 2020, Clarke won the TimberTech Championship in Boca Raton, Florida for his first win on the PGA Tour Champions. It was his first worldwide since he won The Open Championship in 2011. Clarke collected his second win at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai in Hawaii just 3 months later. In September 2021, Clarke won the Sanford International in a playoff over K. J. Choi and Steve Flesch.[14]
In July 2022, Clarke won his first senior major championship at The Senior Open Championship, played at Gleneagles in Scotland. He won by one shot over Pádraig Harrington. He also became the fourth player in history to win both The Open Championship and The Senior Open Championship.[15]
Ryder Cup and other team golf
editClarke has represented Ireland as both an amateur and as a professional, most notably at the World Cup and Alfred Dunhill Cup. He was a member of five consecutive European Ryder Cup teams in 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2006, winning on four occasions and was also appointed a non-playing vice-captain by Colin Montgomerie in 2010 and by Paul McGinley in 2014.
Clarke's most notable appearance at the Ryder Cup was in 2006, six weeks after the death of his wife Heather.[16] Heather had loved the Ryder Cup and encouraged Darren to compete in it, so he made himself available for selection. European captain Ian Woosnam chose Clarke as one of his two wild cards, and he contributed three points from three matches to Europe's victory and was embraced by members of the European and U.S. teams after he finished the tournament.[16]
Clarke was named as the 2016 Ryder Cup captain on 18 February 2015. He was selected by a five-man selection panel consisting of the last three Ryder Cup captains: Paul McGinley, José María Olazábal, Colin Montgomerie, another ex-Ryder Cup player David Howell and the European Tour chief executive George O'Grady.[17][18]
Personal life
editClarke's grandfather Ben played football for Portadown, Sheffield United, Exeter City and Carlisle United and earned two amateur caps for the Ireland national football team (1882–1950) in 1934.[19] His father Godfrey played for Glenavon.[19]
He met his wife Heather in a nightclub in Portrush, County Antrim, and they married in March 1996. The couple had two sons, Tyrone and Conor, and the family lived at Sunningdale, Berkshire, UK. In 2005 and 2006 he missed several tournaments to care for his wife, who had been diagnosed with both primary breast cancer in December 2001, then, in 2004, with secondary breast cancer. Heather Clarke died on Sunday 13 August 2006 at 39 years of age, in the Royal Marsden Hospital, London.[20]
Clarke's friend Paul McGinley immediately announced his own withdrawal from the PGA Championship starting in Medinah, Illinois. In a statement, McGinley said, "Our two families are very much intertwined, obviously me and Darren, but Heather and (McGinley's wife) Ali were the best of friends and our kids are in the same class at school. So it is a tough time for us all".[21]
Following Clarke's performance at the 2006 Ryder Cup, six weeks after his wife had died, he was the favourite to win the 2006 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, but was runner-up to Zara Phillips. He had previously stated he did not want to win with a sympathy vote after his wife's death.[22]
Clarke and his sons moved back to Northern Ireland, making their home in Portrush. Clarke and former Miss Northern Ireland Alison Campbell married on 11 April 2012.
On 6 April 2011, Clarke was photographed by Kevin Abosch for The Face of Ireland project.[23][24]
Clarke is a supporter of Liverpool F.C.[25]
Clarke was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to golf.[26][27]
Amateur wins
edit- 1989 East of Ireland Championship
- 1990 Spanish International Amateur Championship, Irish Amateur Close Championship, South of Ireland Championship, North of Ireland Amateur Championship
Professional wins (27)
editPGA Tour wins (3)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| World Golf Championships (2) |
| Other PGA Tour (0) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 Feb 2000 | WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship | 4 and 3 |  Tiger Woods
| |
| 2 | 24 Aug 2003 | WGC-NEC Invitational | −12 (65-70-66-67=268) | 4 strokes | Jonathan Kaye
|
| 3 | 17 Jul 2011 | The Open Championship | −5 (68-68-69-70=275) | 3 strokes | Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson
|
European Tour wins (14)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| World Golf Championships (2) |
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other European Tour (10) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 Oct 1993 | Alfred Dunhill Open | −14 (68-68-66-68=270) | 2 strokes |  Nick Faldo,  Vijay Singh
|
| 2 | 6 Oct 1996 | Linde German Masters | −24 (70-64-67-63=264) | 1 stroke | Mark Davis
|
| 3 | 17 May 1998 | Benson & Hedges International Open | −15 (70-69-67-67=273) | 3 strokes |  Santiago Luna
|
| 4 | 1 Nov 1998 | Volvo Masters | −17 (67-73-68-63=271) | 2 strokes |  Andrew Coltart
|
| 5 | 6 Jun 1999 | Compass Group English Open | −20 (68-65-67-68=268) | 2 strokes | John Bickerton
|
| 6 | 27 Feb 2000 | WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship | 4 and 3 | Tiger Woods
| |
| 7 | 4 Jun 2000 | Compass Group English Open (2) | −13 (70-72-68-65=275) | 1 stroke |  Michael Campbell, Mark James
|
| 8 | 8 Jul 2001 | Smurfit European Open | −15 (68-68-71-66=273) | 3 strokes |  Thomas Bjørn,  Pádraig Harrington, Ian Woosnam
|
| 9 | 9 Jun 2002 | Compass Group English Open (3) | −17 (65-70-68-68=271) | 3 strokes | Søren Hansen
|
| 10 | 24 Aug 2003 | WGC-NEC Invitational | −12 (65-70-66-67=268) | 4 strokes | Jonathan Kaye
|
| 11 | 27 Apr 2008 | BMW Asian Open1 | −8 (71-69-67-73=280) | 1 stroke |  Robert-Jan Derksen
|
| 12 | 24 Aug 2008 | KLM Open | −16 (68-64-66-66=264) | 4 strokes | Paul McGinley
|
| 13 | 15 May 2011 | Iberdrola Open | −6 (65-70-70-69=274) | 3 strokes | David Lynn, Chris Wood
|
| 14 | 17 Jul 2011 | The Open Championship | −5 (68-68-69-70=275) | 3 strokes | Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson
|
1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1995 | Portuguese Open | Adam Hunter
|
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Japan Golf Tour wins (3)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 Apr 2001 | The Crowns | −13 (66-67-67-67=267) | 4 strokes |  Keiichiro Fukabori, Shinichi Yokota
|
| 2 | 14 Nov 2004 | Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters | −22 (66-65-67-68=266) | 6 strokes | Nozomi Kawahara, Lee Westwood
|
| 3 | 13 Nov 2005 | Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters (2) | −18 (66-71-65-68=270) | 2 strokes | Mitsuhiro Tateyama
|
Japan Golf Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters | Ryoken Kawagishi, Hirofumi Miyase
|
Miyase won with par on second extra hole Kawagishi eliminated by par on first hole |
Sunshine Tour wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 Feb 2001 | Dimension Data Pro-Am | −14 (71-63-69-71=274) | 2 strokes |  Retief Goosen, Tjaart van der Walt
|
Sunshine Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | Vodacom Players Championship | Nic Henning
|
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Sep 2003 | Benmore Developments Northern Ireland Masters | −11 (72-66-65-70=273) | 2 strokes | Stuart Little
|
Other wins (4)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1992 | Ulster Professional Championship | |||
| 2 | 22 May 1994 | Smurfit Irish PGA Championship | 285 | 3 strokes | Raymond Burns
|
| 3 | 5 Jul 2010 | J. P. McManus Pro-Am | −3 (73-68=141) | 1 stroke | Luke Donald
|
| 4 | 21 Jul 2010 | Lough Erne Challenge (with Rory McIlroy)
|
−6 (66) | 1 stroke | Pádraig Harrington and Shane Lowry
|
Other playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005 | Nedbank Golf Challenge | Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen, Adam Scott
|
Furyk won with birdie on second extra hole Goosen eliminated by par on first hole |
PGA Tour Champions wins (4)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| Senior major championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour Champions (3) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Nov 2020 | TimberTech Championship | −17 (69-62-68=199) | 1 stroke | Jim Furyk,  Bernhard Langer
|
| 2 | 23 Jan 2021 | Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai | −21 (63-68-64=195) | 2 strokes | Retief Goosen
|
| 3 | 19 Sep 2021 | Sanford International | −12 (63-70-65=198) | Playoff |  K. J. Choi, Steve Flesch
|
| 4 | 24 Jul 2022 | The Senior Open Championship | −10 (65-67-69-69=270) | 1 stroke | Pádraig Harrington
|
PGA Tour Champions playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 | Sanford International | K. J. Choi, Steve Flesch
|
Won with birdie on second extra hole Flesch eliminated by par on first hole |
European Senior Tour wins (1)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| Senior major championships (1) |
| Other European Senior Tour (0) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Jul 2022 | The Senior Open Championship | −10 (65-67-69-69=270) | 1 stroke | Pádraig Harrington
|
Major championships
editWins (1)
edit| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Open Championship | 1 shot lead | −5 (68-68-69-70=275) | 3 strokes | Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson
|
Results timeline
editResults not in chronological order in 2020.
| ! Tournament | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T8 | CUT | |||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T43 | T43 | T10 | ||||
| The Open Championship | T64 | CUT | T39 | T38 | T31 | T11 | T2 | CUT | T30 |
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT |
| ! Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T40 | 24 | T20 | T28 | CUT | T17 | T22 | CUT | ||
| U.S. Open | T53 | T30 | T24 | T42 | CUT | 56 | CUT | |||
| The Open Championship | T7 | T3 | T37 | T59 | T11 | T15 | CUT | CUT | T52 | |
| PGA Championship | T9 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T13 | CUT | T42 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T44 | T52 | CUT | |||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||||||
| The Open Championship | T44 | 1 | CUT | T21 | T26 | CUT | T30 | CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T48 | CUT | T54 | 75 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||||
| PGA Championship | ||||||
| U.S. Open | ||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | NT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T75 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
edit| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 9 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 6 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 8 |
| The Open Championship | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 32 | 20 |
| Totals | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 79 | 43 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (2000 Masters – 2001 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2000 Open Championship – 2000 PGA)
Results in The Players Championship
edit| Tournament | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T71 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T26 | CUT | T6 | T26 | T63 | T20 | WD |
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | WD |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
World Golf Championships
editWins (2)
edit| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship | n/a | 4 and 3 | Tiger Woods
| |
| 2003 | WGC-NEC Invitational | 1 shot lead | –12 (65-70-66-67=268) | 4 strokes | Jonathan Kaye
|
Results timeline
edit| Tournament | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match Play | R64 | 1 | R64 | QF | 3 | R64 | R64 | R64 | R64 | |||||
| Championship | T40 | T17 | NT1 | 63 | T38 | T4 | T26 | T46 | T43 | |||||
| Invitational | T36 | T17 | 3 | T19 | 1 | T14 | T28 | WD | T67 | T6 | T22 | T68 | ||
| Champions | T38 | |||||||||||||
1Cancelled due to 9/11
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
WD = Withdrew
NT = No tournament
Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.
Senior major championships
editWins (1)
edit| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Senior Open Championship | 1 shot lead | −10 (65-67-69-69=270) | 1 stroke | Pádraig Harrington
|
Results timeline
edit| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Tradition | T27 | NT | T8 | T13 | T9 | T32 |
| Senior PGA Championship | T35 | NT | 54 | T14 | T5 | T21 |
| U.S. Senior Open | CUT | NT | T28 | CUT | T32 | T42 |
| Senior Players Championship | T23 | T12 | T38 | T30 | T33 | |
| The Senior Open Championship | T10 | NT | 3 | 1 | T33 | T13 |
"T" indicates a tie for a place
CUT = missed the halfway cut
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Team appearances
editAmateur
- St Andrews Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1990 (winners)
Professional
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Ireland): 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
- World Cup (representing Ireland): 1994, 1995, 1996
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1997 (winners), 1999, 2002 (winners), 2004 (winners), 2006 (winners), 2016 (non-playing captain)
- Record: 20 matches, 11.5 points (58% Point Percentage)
- All Formats (W-L-H): 10–7–3 = 11.5 pts
- Singles: 1–2–2 = 2 pts
- Foursomes: 3–3–0 = 3 pts
- Fourballs: 6–2–1 = 6.5 pts
- Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2000, 2002 (winners), 2011 (winners)
- Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2007 (winners)
- EurAsia Cup (representing Europe): 2016 (non-playing captain, winners)
Awards and honours
edit- 1993 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 1997 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 1998 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 2000 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 2003 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award
- 2004 Texaco Ireland Sportstar Golf Award (shared with Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Darren Clarke's Profile". European Tour. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ "Week 29 2001 Ending 22 Jul 2001" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking". Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ Career Money List European Tour. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ Tiger Woods text messages gave Darren Clarke the drive to be a champion Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ Clarke wins WGC-NEC BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ "Darren Clarke wins Iberdrola Open to end Tour drought". BBC Sport. 14 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ "Clarke secures Iberdrola Open in Majorca". RTÉ Sport. 15 May 2011. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ Darren Clarke is the Superman who never gave up on his dream of a Major – and triumphed at The Open The Mirror. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ Darren Clarke dedicates his Open Championship victory to his children and late wife, Heather Telegraph. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ Open Championship 2011: Darren Clarke captures maiden major win BBC. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ "MediaWatch: 'Golf capital of the world'". Golf Digest. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- ^ Northern Ireland, world golf capital Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ "Darren Clarke wins Sanford International in playoff with K.J. Choi". Golf Channel. Associated Press. 19 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ "Senior Open: Darren Clarke claims narrow victory over Padraig Harrington at Gleneagles". Sky Sports. 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ a b Tearful Clarke revels in triumph BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ "Darren Clarke to captain Europeans". ESPN. Associated Press. 18 February 2015.
- ^ "David Howell added to five-man panel selecting next Team Europe Captain". Ryder Cup. 12 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Ben Clarke". nifootball.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ Darren mourns for his Heather, Belfast Telegraph, 14 August 2006
- ^ "Clarke left to mourn wife's death". BBC News. 13 August 2006.
- ^ Clarke uneasy over sympathy vote BBC. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
- ^ Darren Joins 'Face of Ireland Exhibition' Archived 14 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Face of Ireland Archived 5 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hunter, Steve (30 April 2012). "Darren Clarke on his love for LFC". Liverpool F.C. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "No. 60009". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2011. p. 9.
- ^ "OBE for Darren Clarke and MBE for Rory McIlroy in New Year Honours list". BBC Sport. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
External links
edit- Official website
- Darren Clarke at the European Tour official site
- Darren Clarke at the PGA Tour official site
- Darren Clarke at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Darren Clarke at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- Darren Clarke at IMDb