With Graeme McDowell winning the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach this month and Rory McIlroy being a favourite to win against more experienced professionals at next week’s British Open, it has been a good year for Irish golfers. The Scottish Open that began yesterday at Loch Lomond was no exception as Northern Ireland native-Darren Christopher Clarke finished first yesterday with six under par for a 65 and kept his first place status after the second day today with a 67.
Clarke is no stranger to top rankings. He stood in the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings between 2000 and 2002. His most notable achievement to date was a remarkable victory against famous American golfer, Tiger Woods at the 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match play Championship. He has also placed second on the European Tour three times in 1998, 2000 and 2003.
Some are calling his two-day streak ‘the luck of the Irish’ since a thick skin accustomed to rainy weather was definitely an asset as rain poured down on the infamous course with no intermission. For many golfers, the heavy rain was a liability, but Clarke was not intimidated by the dark skies telling The Guardian: "It wasn't torrential heavy rain. It was just torrential rain," the resident meteorologist and halfway leader, Darren Clarke, declared. "If you're from Ireland, you'll know there is a difference; a massive difference."
South-African professional golfer Ernie Else and American household name Phil Mickelson, however, suffered because of Scotland’s nearly-torrential rains. Both golfers missed the cut and fell 13 shots behind Clarke’s comeback score. The first day could have been seen as a fluke, if it were not for the fact that Clarke went on to play the best round overall the very next day. He calls his win over the holes and the tough weather conditions “satisfying” to The Guardian: “The golf course was playing so long because it was so wet, which meant par was a good score on every hole.”
Talk about the underdog stealing the lead. Clarke has lost his place amongst the best golfers over the last few years. Mickelson could very easily calm his frustration if he does not make it to the final on Sunday with the prospect of heading early to St Andrews to prepare for the British Open. Meanwhile, an underdog like Clarke needs a recent big win under his belt and at this point in his career the £500,000 winner’s cheque could not hurt either. And if Clarke wins here, he will automatically be given entrance to the Fife coast prestigious tournament.
When interviewed about the possibility of playing The British Open, Clarke told The Guardian: “it would be nice but I’m not thinking about that yet.” But if he can manage to stretch his consecutive, two-day victory into a four-day spree of Irish luck, then not only would he be playing alongside fellow Irish natives McIlroy and McDowell at the British Open, but he would also be given a place on Team Europe for the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in October. That’s a lot of pressure for someone who has not seen victory or a big tournament in quite some time.
Clarke started this Open with comfort and ease because after such a long absence from top rankings there were no expectations or stresses for success. Hopefully he can overcome the pressure of being on top again: "I'm going into the weekend a little bit nervous but I am also excited at the same time," he told The Guardian. "I want to get back out there on the course, give myself a chance and see how we go."
While fans hope for him to hold onto his first place standing, one can only imagine that the Irishman is probably hoping for some help from the weather gods. Maybe just maybe, Mother Nature will bring some torrential rains to the Loch Lomond course for Clarke once more so that he outplay the competition under familiar skies and feel the nostalgia of a big win once again.
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