Darren Clarke is one of the world’s most recognisable golfers and has won many fans across the globe over three decades at the top of his spot.
Winner of The Open Championship in 2011, Darren also captained the European Ryder Cup team against the United States in 2016 and continues to impress into his sixth decade, with back-to-back victories on the PGA Champions Tour.
A stalwart of the European Tour since 1991, the Ulsterman is no stranger to firsts.
At the 1999 Smurfit European Open, he became the first player on the European Tour to shoot 60 for a second time, having achieved it first in the 1992 European Monte Carlo Open.
In 2002, he became the first player to win the English Open three times and in 2003 the first player outside Tiger Woods to capture more than one World Golf Championship title.
Three weeks after the untimely death of wife Heather, who finally lost her brave battle against cancer in August 2006, Darren was picked as one of the wild cards for the Ryder Cup at K Club and, in an emotionally-charged week, produced one of his most memorable performances, winning all three of his matches.
A dedicated worker for charity, he set up his own Darren Clarke Foundation, which not only helps further the development of junior golf in Ireland but also now raises money for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Darren has assured his place in history by earning a place in the renowned ‘Who’s Who’ guide for 2008. He even appeared on an Irish postage stamp in 2005.
The year 2008 was a great one for Darren, with wins in the BMW Asian Open in China and the KLM Open in the Netherlands, where his sons Tyrone and Conor were there to witness Dad’s victory.
In 2010, he beat a world-class field in the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am at Adare Manor in Ireland, securing a one-shot victory over Luke Donald. He clenched his spot in the 139th Open Championship at St. Andrew’s by finishing second in the Barclays Scottish Open.
