Darren Clarke’s triumph at Royal St. George’s gets my vote for the feel good story of the year so far in sports.
Here’s a guy, 42 years old, who hasn’t contended in the majors in a decade.
Didn’t even qualify for the last two majors.
He hasn’t had a top 20 finish in a major in 5 years.
And you have to go back five years to really appreciate where Clarke has been.
It was in 2006 that his wife lost her battle with cancer, leaving Clarke to raise his two young sons. Life took priority over golf. And Clarke fell from a top ten player to out of the top 100 in the world rankings.
Clarke’s time among the game’s elite was seemingly over. But golf, as in life, isn’t always what it seems.
This weekend Clarke played brilliantly, with two of the game’s top players chasing him down to win golf’s oldest prize.
It’s almost like a Hollywood script.
Darren Clarke may not represent the future of the game. That belongs to fellow countryman Rory McIlroy, who used to refer to Clarke as his favorite player.
But this victory is sweet.
On Sunday, Clarke became the third player from Northern Ireland to win in the last six majors.
Northern Irish eyes are smiling..and so are mine.
