The Irish Golf Club Gazette: DarrenClarke60

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9/01/2016

Ireland's Strong Ryder Cup Record

Graeme McDowell knew it was a mistake as soon as he glanced up at the scoreboard.

That comfortable lead Europe had taken into the singles matches two years ago was gone, erased in a flurry of American birdies. Instead of coasting into the victory party as he'd expected as the 12th man out, the Ryder Cup - to say nothing of Europe's pride and honor - was in McDowell's hands.

"Those last seven holes, I've never been so nervous in my life," McDowell recalled Tuesday. "Coming down the stretch that day was some of the toughest golf I had ever played in my life, and some of the most nerve-racking golf. Myself and Hunter Mahan, someone was going to be the hero and someone was going to be the villain that day.

"Thankfully I was able to get the job done."

Of course he did. When the Ryder Cup is on the line, the Irish usually do.

McDowell delivered the winning point at Celtic Manor with a 15-foot birdie on the 16th hole, joining Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Philip Walton and Christy O'Connor Jr. as Irish heroes on one of the biggest stages in golf.

Don't be surprised if that Irish luck holds this week, too. Though European captain Jose Maria Olazabal refused to give any hints about his lineup, it's almost certain McDowell will be playing with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, his good friend and fellow Northern Irishman, when the Ryder Cup begins Friday at Medinah Country Club.

Paired together two years ago, the two were 1-1-1 in team matches.

"He's one of our main men," Olazabal said of McDowell. "He loves this competition, and I think it brings out the best in him. He's a very gutsy player. It doesn't matter if he's not striking the ball well, he will fight until the very end. He will fight for every shot, for every inch. And we saw that in the past."

Not just from McDowell, either.

Back in 2006, it was Clarke who carried the Europeans. Playing just six weeks after his wife, Heather, died of breast cancer, Clarke gave the Europeans an emotional charge the Americans never came close to answering. He won all three of his matches, and the Europeans routed the U.S. 18 1/2-9 1/2 for their third straight victory.

Four years before that, McGinley made a spectacular save on 18 to snatch a halve from Furyk and take the cup from the Americans. After McGinley had pulled even with a 12-footer on 17, Furyk was only 3 feet away from a certain par - after a beautiful bunker shot. McGinley, meanwhile, missed the green - badly. But he made a gorgeous pitch to about 8 feet, and sank the putt for the halve.

Back in 1995, the little-known Walton had lost what would be his only other Ryder Cup match, in Saturday morning foursomes. He would go 3-up on Jay Haas with three holes left in singles, only to lose 16 and 17. But Haas was in trouble off the 18th tee, and Walton two-putted for a bogey and the point Europe needed to win the cup, kickstarting its current dominance. The Europeans have won six of the last eight Ryder Cups.

And in 1989, O'Connor - a captain's pick - upset Fred Couples by making two birdies on the last three holes. One of the most celebrated shots in Irish golf was O'Connor hitting 2-iron from 229 yards to about 4 feet for birdie. It shook Couples so badly that he missed the green with a 9-iron, and it was key to Europe retaining the cup.

"The Ryder Cup's become such a big deal, I think people love it as a spectacle," McDowell said. "The aftermath (in 2010) and the 17th green when everyone swamped that green, it was something like I've never seen in golf before, and cool to be part of."

McDowell was hardly an unknown at Celtic Manor. He'd been unflappable in winning the U.S. Open just three months earlier, barely blinking as he withstood charges by Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els at Pebble Beach. He wasn't a Ryder Cup rookie, either, going 2-1-1 at Valhalla.

But it was his performance in Wales that transformed the 33-year-old - on and off the course.

"Winning the U.S. Open, there was sort of an aftermath of congratulations from everyone. I think that lasted a few weeks," McDowell said. "But the Ryder Cup was something a bit different because that was enjoyed by European fans, the European Tour, anyone that calls themselves European. I think I certainly got recognized more for that putt at the Ryder Cup than I did for my U.S. Open. There's no doubt about that, certainly in Europe."

McDowell hasn't won a tournament since 2010 but he's never far from the conversation, either.

He's made all but four cuts in 22 starts on the PGA and European tours this year, and has five top-five finishes. He settled for second at the U.S. Open after missing a 25-footer to force a playoff, and was fifth at the British after blowing up with a final-round 75.

If Olazabal sends him out last again in singles, McDowell will be ready to deliver again.

"Where will I play on Sunday? Who knows?" he said. "Part of me would love that opportunity again - part of me would love it, part of me would hate it. I'll take whatever comes."

5/03/2016

Caddie Chemistry Not a Given

In 2002 Darren Clarke made the final rounds of the Murphy's Irish Open thanks to advice of his stand-in caddie for the day - after his regular caddie Billy Foster had flown back home to Manchester after the birth of his second daughter. Following a call to his friend Paul McGinley, The Dubliner's caddie JP Fitzgerald was the late replacement and his presence proved pivotal at the 18th - according to Clarke.

Speaking at the time Clarke said: "At the last JP said, 'If you lay up and miss the cut by one you'll be as sick as a dog'.

"So I said right, I'll have a go at it. And I hit a great shot from the top of the hill. I punched in a five-iron. I had 209 to the front. I didn't know what they cut was going to be, par or one under but it was the right decision in the end," explained Clarke

At the start of the following year Clarke embarked on a series of drastic changes with his golf in order to challenge for the Majors again and switched back to Butch Harmon as his coach, parted company with Foster, after six years together, and signed a deal to play with TaylorMade clubs. The complete overhaul came after a Christmas letter from sports psychologist Bob Rotella and as part of his new look team he added J P. Fitzgerald.

Despite much promise the partnership did not last and they subsequently split with Clarke accepting that he is one of the more demanding players on tour to work for, and both parted company following the 2004 Masters - despite winning the 2003 WGC-NEC Invitational at Firestone.

"I know I've been very hard on JP. My demands were too great, I expected him to pick the right club every time, and while I wasn't jumping down his throat non-stop, I was complaining," said Clarke at the time.

Originally from Castleknock, Fitzgerald represented Baltray as an amateur and actually beat Clarke in the semi-final of the Irish Close Championships in 1987. After attending East Tennessee University on scholarship, Fitzgerald was recruited by his close friend Paul McGinley, helping with that infamous putt in the 2002 Ryder Cup at The Belfry.

The short spell with Clarke was followed by two seasons in the US with Greg Owen and returned to the big time when Ernie Els called him in late 2007. It was Els manager at the time, Andrew “Chubby” Chandler, who summed up the fragility of the caddies role when he explained why Fitzgerald was the ideal replacement for Ricci Roberts

“JP happens to be in the right place at the right time.”

“Ernie and Ricci are such close friends that the caddying part of it was putting a strain on their relationship.

Roberts started back with Els in May of 2001 - after a split in the latter part of 1998 – with two U.S. Open victories in 1994 and 1996 to their credit. In the period of Roberts absence there were only a couple of PGA wins for the South African and it fell well short of what was achieved on Ricci’s return when Ernie won The Doral, The 2002 Open Championship, and The Sun City post season event. In that time the pair also added the World Match Play Championship at Wentworth.

Ironically, Ricci Roberts joined Darren Clarke in April 2011 playing their first event at the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco with Clarke’s manager Chandler no doubt playing a role in the decision.

In the same week almost much ink and paper met on the why’s and wherefores of what went wrong with Rory McIlroy at the tenth tee box on the Sunday of The Masters at Augusta National. The last moment the young McIlroy was to lead the 2011 tournament. After which much of the focus started to move in the Fitzgerald direction.

In the musical chairs environment that exists in the caddyshack, those cannot have been good days for the Dubliner - as no one was short of helpful analysis. In some cases drawing comparisons with other such golfing collapses by Greg Norman or Jean van de Velde. As well as Sergio Garcia

Maeks one recall some of those memorable Masters stories.

Like when Bruce Edwards recalled the walk up the 18th fairway in 1996 at Augusta with Greg Norman's bag, who turned to him and said 'I guess it's better to be lucky than good.' A remark that left Edwards stunned given Faldo had outplayed the Australian all day. Edwards reply was tough as he turned to Norman and said, 'I just want to caddie for someone who has heart.'

For McIlroy it was a touch of the same when Schwartzel chipped in at the first and then eagled a blind shot so dramatically at the 3rd. It was clear from those early moments that destiny was marking the South African's card and in all the post analysis the role of fortune and luck got no mention. The reality is no major has been won without it.

Nor any other sporting event for that matter.

At Sandwich for the 2011 Open it was the turn of John Mulrooney to be in the right place at the right time and Clarke was generous in the praise of his caddie when collecting the Claret Jug on the eighteenth green. One hoped that it was the start of a longer terms thing. But it was not to be that enuring.

One of more enduring partnerships is Phil Mickelson and Jim “Bones” McKay. Which undoubtedly has been tested to its limit with all challenges in Phil's private life, given his wife, Amy’s, battle with cancer. Compounded by a similar fate befalling his Mother, along with Phil’s own health worries of sporadic arthritis.

Those events notwithstanding Mickelson won his third green jacket in 2010 with a tournament winning shot on the 15th which commentators suggested his caddie should have advised him against. These days it makes for uplifting footage that confirms that destiny was with Lefty that day and the gap between those pine trees was never an issue.

In the most high profile team of Tiger Woods and Steve Williams the toughest of personal challenges beset the player. With indiscreet remarks by the New Zealander also problematic at times for his employer. Although others were fired for less Williams offered some key components on the course to the former world number 1 and was richly rewarded for his efforts. So much so he commuted almost weekly across the Pacific Ocean as he tried to maintain his own personal life intact as well as caddying.

Having been fired by Norman in 1989 Williams admitted he had got too close personally to Norman, although both remain good friends to this day. To the point that Norman later admitted he had made a mistake furing the Kiwi and tried to rehire him. The fall out last year between the Woods and Williams team showed that nothing lasts forever.

On the other hand the stories of swift caddie changes that have led to dramatic results also abound.

The addition of Phil “Wobbly” Morbey to the side of Ross Fisher shortly before the 2011 3 Irish Open as a replacement for Andrew Morrow proved immediately successful. Fisher won the €500,000 cheque in Killarney with the caddied that had done the same with Ian Woosnam and Thomas Bjorn previously.

“I think wobbly has given me that extra bit of added confidence, some self-belief, and like I say, he's great on the bag. He tells me exact little how it is. Doesn't beat about the bush. Tells me exactly where I need to go, what club it is and it's just real positive. So far, the relationship is good and fingers crossed, we can go a very long way,” explained Fisher in July 2010.

JP Fitzgerald is now part of the more enduring partnerships in golf history. Fast becoming one of the most successful with four major titles to his name.

Good thing Rory ignored all those experts back in 2011

4/21/2016

Captain Clarke Hails European Masters

Darren Clarke at Portrush Golf Club

Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has hailed the “wonderful” performance of Europe’s top players at the US Masters.

With champion Danny Willett one of seven Europeans in the top 15 at Augusta, Clarke said the final leaderboard had delivered a real positive ahead of the much-anticipated showdown with the United States in the autumn.

Clarke also spent time with golf fan Alex Ferguson at Augusta and said he intended to visit him again in England to pick the former Manchester United manager’s brain.

The former Open champion, who missed the cut in Georgia, was at his home club at Royal Portrush on Tuesday to launch the start of a Ryder Cup trophy tour.

“It was a wonderful week from a European perspective,” Clarke said of the Masters.

“With the winner Danny Willett and indeed Lee Westwood playing a lot better and Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick, there were so many Europeans up there in the top 10.

“So it was a very positive week for the Europeans.”

Willett’s victory was the first major of the Yorkshireman’s career, but Clarke said it came as no surprise to him.

“He’s been playing really well now for a couple of years, I am a good friend of his, I’ve spent a lot of time with him and his game has just been getting better and better,” said Europe’s Ryder Cup captain.

“It’s certainly no surprise whatsoever. He’s performed really well, especially of late again, and from a personal point of view I was delighted to see him win.”

Clarke, 47, said it was also great to see his close friend Westwood — who finished joint second at Augusta — contending in a major again.

“To see him playing in the manner and fashion that I know he can is certainly very, very heartening,” he said.

With so many up and coming stars emerging, Europe’s team is predicted to have quite a few fresh faces as they look to win the Ryder Cup for a fourth successive time.

Clarke insisted there was a long way to go in qualifying, though.

“It’s a long way off before the team is finalised, a lot of big tournaments, a lot of Ryder Cup points to be played for,” he said.

“While the make-up of the team at the moment may look slightly different to what we are used to, come the end of August I think it might be a little bit different.”

Clarke said Ferguson had given him “lots of advice” at Augusta.

“There would be very few people who have had as successful a career as he has had,” he said.

“He was very, very helpful. I will go over and spend a bit more time with him shortly over in Manchester — he was more than willing to help me.

“As a Liverpool fan it was quite difficult, but you know the man is a legend.”

The trophy tour will see the iconic prize travelling around Europe and the US ahead of September’s encounter. Its next stop will be Belfast City Hall on Wednesday.

“To have the Ryder Cup trophy tour start off here in Northern Ireland is very, very special,” said Clarke.

“To have it here at Royal Portrush, I only live up on the hill up there, so it’s wonderful to start off here.”

The 2016 Ryder Cup is being held at Hazeltine in the United States and takes place from September 30th to October 2nd.

1/15/2016

Europe Lead EURASIA Day One

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Ian Poulter led from the front as Europe built a commanding lead on the opening day of the EURASIA CUP presented by DRB-HICOM.

Darren Clarke's Europe lead 4 ½ - 1 ½ after winning four of Friday's six fourball matches, with Asia taking one and the other ending all square.

Bernd Wiesberger and Ian Poulter, one of the star performers in Europe’s recent Ryder Cup victories, put the visitors' first point on the board after beating Anirban Lahiri and Jeung Hun Wang 4 and 3 in match one.

Europe did not have to wait long for their second point, with Ross Fisher and Kristoffer Broberg posting a 6 and 4 victory over Prayad Marksaeng and K.T Kim in match four.

Asia took their first point shortly after when Byeong-hun An and Thongchai Jaidee completed their stunning turnaround to beat Yorkshiremen Danny Willett and Matt Fitzpatrick 3 and 1.

But Europe made it 3-1 when Shane Lowry and Andy Sullivan beat Wu Ashun and Shingo Katayama 2 and 1 before Søren Kjeldsen and Victor Dubuisson, who was struggling with a knee injury on the back nine, halved their match with home favourites Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung.

Lee Westwood and Chris Wood then beat Kiradech Aphibarnrat and SSP Chawrasia 2 and 1 in match six to round off a successful day for Europe.

European captain Clarke was thrilled with his team's start to the competition. He said: "It's a wonderful start for Europe. There was a lot of matches there where it could have swung either way on the back nine.

"Halfway around, Europe were leading in all the matches. I was on the radio to a few of the other guys and said, this is match play, Asia are going to come back at some stage on the back nine, and that's exactly what they did.

"We had a strong couple matches and managed to finish with a very good result."

In the morning's first match, Wiesberger and Poulter were one up thanks to a birdie from the Austrian at the sixth, and they caught fire after the turn, winning three holes in a row from the tenth to build an unassailable lead.

Poulter was pleased with their performance. He said: "It was good golf. We played nice. It's nice to get it done early, as hot as it is out here right now.

"We holed a couple of putts, which is always handy in this format. It normally makes the difference - Ian Poulter.

"Those guys really didn't hole anything, and that's the turning point. If you hole putts from 15, 20 feet, then obviously it makes it very difficult for your opponent."

Wiesberger added: "I think we did good as a team. We holed some key putts when we wanted to, and we had our good moments - each of us - and helped each other out, so it was a good team effort today."

Fisher and Broberg were four up at the turn before increasing their lead further by taking the tenth hole.

Marksaeng and Kim claimed the 11th, but the European duo restored their five-hole lead when Broberg rolled in his long-range putt at the next, and they secured the point by winning the 14th.

Fisher said: "We were really up for the challenge come the first tee, and just kept saying to each other 'come on, let's keep the pedal down, let's just put two balls in play'.

"That's what Clarkey reiterated to us last night at the meeting and that's what we tried to do today - put two balls in play, put two balls on the green and give ourselves looks at birdies. We made a bunch today and we're delighted to be finished early."

Elsewhere, Jaidee put the Asian pair ahead in match two when he holed a monster putt from some 90 feet at the fifth.

But Englishmen Willett and Fitzpatrick bounced back and looked well-placed to win another point for Europe after some brilliant putting saw them take a two-hole lead into the turn.

But An and Jaidee had other ideas, winning the 11th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th holes to seal Asia’s first point.

Lowry and Sullivan were two up at the turn before birdies at the 13th and 14th gave them a four-hole lead.

Katayama chipped in at the 15th before a birdie from Wu at the 16th reduced the deficit for the Asian pair, but the European duo halved the 17th to close out victory.

Dubuisson and Kjeldsen went one up at the earliest opportunity in match three, with Frenchman Dubuisson firing a birdie at the first.

Fung levelled things up with a birdie at the short fifth before Dubuisson sank a sensational long putt at the ninth to restore Europe's one-hole lead.

The Asian pair drew level at the next but Europe regained the lead at the 14th, only for Fung to square the match by winning the 15th.

Kjeldsen thought he had edged his pair back in front when he chipped in at the 17th, but Fung also chipped in to set up a thrilling finale.

The match was halved at the 18th after both teams managed par.

Westwood and Wood started strongly, going two up after winning the second and fifth holes, but they were pegged back as Aphibarnrat won the seventh and Chawrasia took the tenth for Asia.

But birdies at the 12th and 16th helped the Englishmen win the point.

1/14/2016

Captain Clarke Ready for Battle

Getty Images

Darren Clarke will put his captaincy skills to the test in this weekend’s EurAsia Cup before he tries to lead Europe to an eighth Ryder Cup victory in the last 10 contests in October.

Clarke insists the clash with the United States at Hazeltine will be at the back of his mind when his side take on Asia in Kuala Lumpur, although the parallels between the two events are hard to escape.

Ian Poulter, one of Clarke’s two wild cards, will partner Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger in Friday’s opening fourball match against Anirban Lahiri and Korea’s Jeunghun Wang.

Clarke’s other wild card and nine-time Ryder Cup player Lee Westwood has been entrusted with the anchor role, partnering fellow Englishman Chris Wood against Kiradech Aphibarnrat and SSP Chawrasia.

Yorkshiremen Danny Willett and Matt Fitzpatrick could be another European pair in Minnesota and they face Byeong-hun An and Thongchai Jaidee, while Victor Dubuisson and Soren Kjeldsen take on Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung.

Ross Fisher and Kristoffer Broberg face Prayad Marksaeng and KT Kim before WGC-Bridgestone Invitational winner Shane Lowry and Andy Sullivan play Wu Ashun and Shingo Katayama.

“Obviously there’s Ryder Cup stuff going on in the back of my mind with possible pairings, but first and foremost, it’s about the EurAsia Cup this week,” Clarke said.

“We’re here to try and win, as Jeev (Milkha Singh, Asia’s captain) is with his team. The thoughts and everything I’m trying to do is going towards this week.

“When we’re finished this week, if we come back with a few pairings and hopefully if I’ve learned something from this week come September, then so be it. First and foremost, it’s definitely this week and the EurAsia Cup.”

Poulter has been a talismanic figure in the Ryder Cup, earning the nicknames of ’Mr Ryder Cup’ and the ’Postman’ because he always delivers a point for the side.

The 40-year-old had won an incredible 80 per cent of his matches before the 2014 contest, but two halves and one defeat saw that drop to 72.22 per cent, with Justin Rose now just behind at 71.42 per cent after three wins and two halves at Gleneagles.

“The reason why I certainly like the Ryder Cup and obviously this format is because it’s the purest form of golf. It’s match play,” Poulter said. “You see your opponent right in the face and you can go out there and you can make a difference.

“You can hole a chip shot; you can hole a bunker shot; you can hole a long putt; you can turn a match around. In stroke-play events, that doesn’t really happen, but in match play, it does.

“The second you hit that first tee shot, you want to get your opponent off the golf course as soon as possible. This format really excites me.”

The inaugural contest in 2014 finished in a 10-10 draw after Asia fought back from being whitewashed in the opening session and trailing 7-3 heading into the singles.

“I’m really excited about this,” captain Singh said. “Both the teams are very strong. At the end of the day I think whoever holes more putts, good course management, that’s what it’s all going to come down to.

“Both the sides are really experienced. But I still feel my team looks very good. I’m positive, I’m excited, and I believe in my team that they are going to do really well.”

10/20/2015

Clarke Delights in Open Return

The Open Championship will return to Royal Portrush in 2019, the R&A have confirmed.

The famous links, situated on the northern tip of County Antrim in Northern Ireland, became the first course outside Scotland and England to host The Open in 1951, when Max Faulkner clinched his only major title.

There has been much clamour to take the tournament back to Portrush over the last few years, although the R&A had been wary of logistical problems including access to the course for spectators.

But former R&A chief executive Peter Dawson announced last year that the historic Dunluce Course would host The Open in the near future, and the tournament will now be played there in 2019 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Renowned course architect Martin Ebert will oversee many changes to the course, the overall length of which will increase by just under 200 yards to 7,337 yards while the number of bunkers will be increased by three to 62 in total, still leaving Royal Portrush with the fewest bunkers of any of the courses which host The Open.

The move received the support of Open champions Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy, who are relishing the chance to play in the world's oldest major in their homeland.

Clarke, the 2011 champion, said: "This is going to be absolutely huge for Northern Ireland and, indeed, Ireland as a whole. To have the world's biggest and best golf Championship played at such a fantastic venue as Royal Portrush, with all the passion that the Irish fans will bring to the event, is going to be amazing."

To have the world's biggest and best golf Championship played at such a fantastic venue as Royal Portrush, with all the passion that the Irish fans will bring to the event, is going to be amazing

McIlroy, who lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool in 2014, added: "Royal Portrush is one of my favourite golf courses in the world. I think it will be a fantastic Open venue. They are going to add a couple of new holes to the golf course and I think that will be a great addition and will make the course even stronger. I'm really looking forward to it."

An R&A statement read: "The Open is expected to be the biggest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland, generating more than £70m in terms of economic impact and destination marketing benefit.

Royal Portrush is one of my favourite golf courses in the world. I think it will be a fantastic Open venue

"Northern Ireland will be at the centre of the global sporting spotlight from 18-21 July 2019 as The Open is staged outside of Scotland and England for only the second time in the Championship's more than 150-year history with sports fans from throughout Ireland and around the world expected to descend upon the town of Portrush."

Peter Unsworth, chairman of The R&A's championship committee, said, "We are very much looking forward to bringing The Open to Royal Portrush in 2019 and believe it will be a tremendous venue for the Championship. We know there is great anticipation throughout Ireland at the prospect of welcoming the world's top golfers and it promises to be a hugely memorable week.

"We are delighted with the progress being made on the course preparations and they will undoubtedly enhance the challenge presented by these historic links."

The venue proved its credentials for hosting a big tournament when the Irish Open was held there in 2012, with 112,000 fans attending over week to watch Jamie Donaldson win his first European Tour title.

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