In the quiet of the English countryside, Darren Clarke yesterday exorcised the demons that had made the 1999 season sheer hell. His two-strokes win in the English Open may have been as predictable as day following night, but the 30-year-old Irishman's first tournament win in eight months couldn't have been timed any better.
To return to the winner's enclosure, Clarke has borrowed Tiger Woods's coach (Butch Harmon) and availed of a putting aid given to him by US PGA champion Vijay Singh. But, most importantly, he never lost self-belief - and that commodity stood to the 30-year-old Irishman as he ended a barren spell by taking the £119,043 Stg top prize after shooting a final round 68 for a 20-under-par total of 268, two shots clear of his nearest challenger John Bickerton.
And it means he heads off to next week's US Open at Pinehurst in more confident mood. "I'd been up and down like a yoyo," said Clarke, winner of five PGA European Tour titles in an eight-year career. "After a tough start to the season, a lot of people were asking questions and it is good to turn around and win again. I'll obviously feel a lot better now about making the trip to America."
Indeed, the American connection in his latest win was a strong one. After parting with his previous coach Pete Cowen, Clarke took a trip out to Texas to spend a few days with Harmon in late April . . . and the correspondence continued over the past few days as Clarke contacted his transatlantic coach after each round. "Getting the call from Darren was my worst wake-up call," joked Harmon.
Clarke, certainly, appreciated Harmon's influence. "Butch has certainly been a big help. He straightened out a few things for me, and Derrick Cooper (fellow tour professional) has also been keeping an eye on me and telling me the same things," he explained.
And a laser putting aid given to him by Singh at the TPC in Sawgrass in April has also proven beneficial. Indeed, after an opening 68 (and 32 putts) on Thursday last, Clarke spent an hour and a half in the hallway of his Sunningdale home using the putter. It certainly brought back a smoother stroke for the following three rounds and Clarke, who held a five-shot cushion heading into the final round, comfortably overcame a strong challenge from Bickerton, who emerged as his only real threat on a day of thunder and lightning.
Play was actually suspended for 90 minutes when Clarke was halfway through the final round as a storm descended on the area, and further storms were predicted. "I told them I didn't mind if they had to abandon the tournament," joked Clarke. It didn't come to such severe measures, however, and Clarke's win lifted him to third in the Ryder Cup rankings (and certain of a place in the team for Brookline in September). It also brought him to 10th in the European Tour career moneylist with earnings of £3,230,798 and lifted him to ninth place in the Order of Merit with £193,274 in season's earnings.
An hour before his scheduled tee-time, Clarke sauntered towards the driving range with the grin that makes him look a few years younger than 30. "I had nine hours sleep last night, and I just feel good," he said. Some hours later, after 18 holes interrupted by that thunder and lightning storm, the grin was even broader. And the champagne was flowing. Clarke was back.
