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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

On his 20th try, Clarke wins Open

‘Bit of a normal bloke’ holds off Johnson, Mickelson to win his first major at age 42

Darren Clarke hits a shot out of the bunker on the 11th hole of the British Open on Sunday. (Associated Press)
Doug Ferguson Associated Press

SANDWICH, England – No matter how long it grows or even how quickly, the list of major champions from the tiny country of Northern Ireland just wouldn’t feel complete without the addition of Darren Clarke.

He doesn’t have the majestic swing of Rory McIlroy or the putting prowess of Graeme McDowell, the last two U.S. Open champions. He hasn’t contended in a major for the last 10 years, wasn’t eligible for the last three majors and was no longer among the top 100 in the world.

No matter.

Clarke’s three-shot victory in the British Open was met with unending applause Sunday, the loudest saved for the closing ceremony when he was introduced as the champion golfer of the year.

More than that, Clarke, 42, is a man of the people.

“I’m a bit of a normal bloke, aren’t I?” Clarke said, the claret jug at his side. “I like to go to the pub and have a pint, fly home, buy everybody a drink, just normal. There’s not many airs and graces about me. I was a little bit more difficult to deal with in my earlier years, and I’ve mellowed some. Just a little bit. But I’m just a normal guy playing golf, having a bit of fun.”

He was extraordinary at Royal St. George’s.

A cigarette curled under his fingers as he barreled down the fairways, Clarke held off brief challenges from Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson and held up under the pressure until no one could catch him.

Mickelson, who needed only seven holes to make up a five-shot deficit, stepped aside by missing too many short putts. Johnson, in the final group of a major for the third time in the last six, made another blunder with a major at stake. This time, he was two shots behind on the par-5 14th, tried to lay up with a 2-iron and hit it out-of-bounds to make double bogey.

They shared second place, stretching the American drought to six straight majors without winning.

Despite meaningless bogeys on the last two holes, Clarke closed with an even-par 70.

“Pretty amazing right now,” Clarke said. “It’s been a dream since I’ve been a kid to win the Open, like any kid’s dream is, and I’m able to do it, which just feels incredible.”

The weather was so wild that heavy rain switched over to sunshine, back and forth all afternoon, in a relentless wind. Clarke was steady through it all.

With a one-shot lead over Johnson going into the final round, there was a sense that Clarke wouldn’t be able to hold up. But he holed a 12-foot par putt on the first, a downhill 8-footer for par on the third. A 20-foot eagle putt on the seventh, not long after Mickelson made eagle to tie him, gave Clarke the lead for good.

Northern Ireland had gone 63 years – since Fred Daly in the 1947 British Open – without winning a major. Now it has three of the last six.

A week after McIlroy won the U.S. Open, Clarke pulled out of a tournament in Germany so he could return to Northern Ireland and join the celebration.

Maybe McIlroy, who shot a 73 and complained the weather didn’t suit him at the British Open, can return the favor.

“He missed Munich for mine, so I don’t think I’ll miss a tournament for his, but I’ll definitely be there,” McIlroy said. “And I’ll definitely be one of the last ones to go to bed.”

No one had ever gone more than 15 starts in the British Open until winning, and this was the 20th try for Clarke.

“I always believed I would get myself back up here,” he said before heading out to the 18th green to collect the oldest trophy in golf.

“I always believed I had enough talent to challenge and win one.”

Clarke posed with the claret jug that was empty, but not for long. He promised some “nice, Irish black stuff” by evening. And when asked about the celebration, Clarke promised only that it would be “long.”

“And I’ll be very, very hungover,” he said.

Final results
D.Clarke68-68-69-70—275
P. Mickelson70-69-71-68—278
D. Johnson70-68-68-72—278
T. Bjorn65-72-71-71—279
C. Campbell69-68-74-69—280
A. Kim72-68-70-70—280
R. Fowler70-70-68-72—280