Darren Clarke Still in Contention for The Open
After keeping up first place under nearly torrential rain all week at the 2010 Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, favourite-to-win Irishman Darren Clarke placed second to Italian golfer Edoardo Molinari. Clarke still took home what he called “the consolation prize,” which is a chance to tee off at this year’s British Open, more commonly known as "The Open" at the Old Course at St. Andrews.
The pressure of staying on top finally got to the golfer at the beginning of the final round of the Scottish Open as Clarke clumsily dropped three shots in just two holes. His poor start to the finals landed him in a second place position, three strokes behind first place winner Molinari. The problems started for Clarke at the par four second hole, where he choked on a putt from eight feet.
While Molinari went home with a €602,000 cheque for first place, Clarke was the top player in the five top finalists who did not already have exemption into St. Andrews and was therefore awarded the coveted place. And why not be happy about this? Although Clarke was accustomed to top rankings as he held a top ten position on the Official World Golf Rankings from 2000 to 2002, it has been a while since he has placed in the rankings to win a spot at the world-renowned and internationally respected British Open.
Of course, Clarke was going for a first place win in over two years, so a double-bogey at the third hole of par five (“Garden Cottage”) was dream crushing. The water hazard to the right of the green saved the ball inside the line so that Clarke still had a chance to hit the ball with his club. But after trying to rescue the ball from mud and water, Clarke looked on with despair as he was only able to inch the ball away from the hazard on his first shot and then looked on helplessly as the ball rolled back to the same spot on the second.
Eventually, Clarke saved his ball, but followed with a double bogey at seven and managed to take a bogey at five and 11 and then again at the 17th hole. A few shots followed to save his dignity and give him a comeback, leaving him with a 75 and a 10-under final count. With how bright and optimistic Clarke’s standings were all week, this was a devastating last round for the golfer. If we look at his no-name, no-win status going into the tournament in general, however, it is great to see that the Irishman can come out of a double bogey and earn a rightful place next to golf’s best players at The Open.
The idea of ranking first at Barclay’s Scottish Open probably has the professional golfer reeling, but Clarke is full of humility and gratitude for the second-place honour of placing among the elite at The Open, telling the Belfast Telegraph that his second place status is a consolation prize: “After the bogey on two I went for the flag at three and it was three feet away from being good and I ended up making seven…So getting into the Open is a consolation prize, but I am delighted to have finished top five this week because if someone had said I would have finished second, I would probably have taken it.”
What a year to win it. This year’s British Open is an exciting event, with the best of the Irish playing against the best of the U.S., as Team Europe faces off against Team U.S. with the up-and-coming golfers to beat. Clarke joins back-to-back Irish champion Padraig Harrington, rising Irish star Rory McIlroy, and Pebble Beach winner Irishman Graeme McDowell for a battle of the luck of the Irish against the drive of the Americans. Lucky for Clarke, the infamous St. Andrews’ greens require more putting than drive.
McDowell is looking forward to congratulating his fellow Irishman on the St. Andrews course and to offering up his best game at The Open. McDowell acknowledges a good game at Loch Lomond when he sees it, saying “I'll catch up with Darren no doubt this week at St Andrews and there'll be a comforting handshake saying ‘well done' even though he didn't win.”
Clarke may be disappointed to place second after such a strong standing after the first two rounds in the Scottish Open, but he goes into The Open with optimism. He spoke of this hopefulness to the Uk Telegraph: “Given the way I played the first two rounds, and the position I put myself in, I am a little bit down but overall I am happy going to St Andrews.” With any luck, he can shake off any residue of disappointment and show Team U.S. the game he brought to the first two rounds at Loch Lomond.
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