Interview: Life gets better by smiles for Darren Clarke

The Ulsterman’s Open win at Royal St George’s in July not only gave him golf’s ultimate prize but has also allowed him to pick and choose his tournaments so he can spend as much time as possible with his young sons and fiancée

MORE THAN two months on from the week of his now 43-year-old life, the big grin is still in place. The eyes have betrayed the odd bit of weariness between then – the Open Championship – and now – the Dunhill Links – right enough, but Darren Clarke knows Darren Clarke well enough to realise there was never going to be any other way in the wake of those four unforgettable days at Royal St George’s, when his level of performance finally caught up with his inherent talent. Winning golf’s biggest prize was always going to lead to the ever-sociable Ulsterman downing one or two refreshing adult beverages.

He wasted no time, of course. When Clarke returned to the Kent links for his next-morning meeting with the media at 9am on Monday, 18 July, he did so on the back of a long night of well-earned celebration. Not surprisingly, the point-missing puritans among us were outraged by such “disgraceful” behaviour from such an influential sportsman.

“Anyone offended was lucky I didn’t pitch up in the clothes I had on the day before,” says an unrepentant Clarke with a smile. “I only got changed 20 minutes before the press conference. I was all set to go in my golf gear, but Chubby (Chandler, his manager) wouldn’t let me. I have no regrets though. Maybe a young lad of 24 would have gone to bed that night after a glass of orange juice, but I am not that lad and I’m not 24.”

Perhaps the biggest factor in Clarke’s long overdue ascension to major champion status was moving back to his native Northern Ireland. The native of Dungannon is now resident in Portrush, giving him easy access to the majestic and challenging Royal Portrush links. And, just as importantly, he and sons Tyrone, 13, and Conor, 11, are part of a close-knit community of family and friends. Never since the tragic death of his wife Heather from breast cancer in 2006 has Clarke – now engaged to Belfast-based Alison Campbell – appeared so outwardly content.

“Not only have I been able to play one of the best courses in the world on a daily basis, my whole life has been far more settled,” he explains. “Northern Ireland is home to me and now my kids can say the same. They have both settled in fantastically well.

“My sister and her husband are in Portrush too. Their boys, Chris and Callum, are the same ages as my two. They all go to the same school. They are all a huge help when I am away on tour. I’m happy knowing my sons are part of a warm family environment. I’ve never known such peace of mind.

“It really has worked out perfectly. I get so much pleasure from watching my boys doing exactly what I did when I was their age. They are part of a pack of lads who go to the golf course at 9am and come back at 9pm. That is how I grew up. They’re safe. People know who they are and keep an eye on them. And I hear about any misbehaviour pretty quickly!”

Professionally, things have rarely been better for Clarke either. Armed with at least a five-year exemption into every major championship, he sees the next part of his enormously-successful career – five times a Ryder Cup player, he numbers two World Golf Championships amongst his 21 worldwide victories – as something of a payback for time lost during his late wife’s illness. “Here’s how I look at it,” he says. “Through circumstances over which I had no control, I lost a long period of my career, a time when I could and should have been playing my best golf. Now I’ve just had that time returned to me. I’m in every Grand Slam event for the next five years. It’s almost like I’ve got a whole new career in front of me.

“So I’ve had to sit down and reassess my goals. That sounds easy but actually isn’t. I’m not 27 or 30; I’m 43 with two kids aged 13 and 11 and a wonderful fiancée. All the stuff I would have done without thinking 15 years ago, I can’t do now. I have different commitments and I have to juggle different balls these days. So, in terms of things like the Ryder Cup, I have to make up my mind about what my priorities are. Golf is hugely important in my life, but it will always come second to my two kids.”

In the immediate future then, it would seem unlikely that Clarke will re-join the PGA Tour. Just about the last thing he needs is commissioner Tim Finchem telling him he has to play a minimum of 15 events in the US, on top of whatever commitments he has elsewhere. But he is ruling nothing out.

“I’ll be surprised if I join the PGA Tour next year,” he concedes. “Chubby and I need to have a chat about exactly what I’m going to do. We need to figure out the best way for me to have as much time with the boys as I want. I can’t be playing one week in Europe, then taking one off, then playing again in the States. That’s no use if I’m to make the Ryder Cup. And I’d be knackered pretty quickly.

“I have plenty of options. Winning the Open opens all kinds of avenues for me. I can play wherever I want, which makes getting my schedule right even more important. Should joining the PGA Tour be the way I can spend more time with Alison and the boys, then that is what I will do. But it might be better for me to stay mostly in Europe and go to the US as and when.”

Not being averse to change, Clarke isn’t one of those turning up his nose at the notion of using either a broomhandle or belly putter. Never the most consistent on the greens, he is of the “almost anything goes” school when it comes to the dark art of rolling small white balls into four-inch holes.

“I can’t get too worked up about long putters, to be honest,” he shrugs. “And it’s too late now to go back. The big recent change is that good putters are using one or other. They’re not just for those guys with nowhere else to go. And they use them in so many different ways. Look at all the different styles. When I first went out on tour Bernhard Langer employing a left-hand below right grip was seen as revolutionary. He was using that as an anti-yip method. Now it is just another way to putt and no one gives that grip a second glance.

“I’m not surprised by anything that has happened on the greens though. If you look at how the standard of play has improved from tee to green over the last decade or so, putting has become even more important than it was before. It is the best way to separate yourself from the rest. I know only too well that you can’t win events just by hitting the ball well. You must hole lots of putts too. Which is why guys have never been more open to anything that will help them get the ball in the hole quicker.”

Any conversation with Clarke, however, rapidly returns to his home and his family. Having seen some of the worst that life has to offer, it is nice to see the “prince of darkness” (as he is sometimes known to close friends) so outwardly fulfilled. At last, he seems able to look forward rather than back.

“I want this to come out right,” he says, suddenly serious. “Heather will always be with me and the boys. She is part of our lives and none of us will ever forget her. So we don’t need to be constantly reminded of her and what she went through. And, equally, I don’t want to be bringing up her death all the time. That doesn’t benefit anyone.

“My boys have pictures of their mum in their bedrooms. They think of her every day I’m sure. Maybe the best way to put this is to say that it goes without saying that we will never forget Heather and what she meant to us. So there is no need for constant reminders and questions.”

Happily, of course, Clarke has been lucky in love a second time around.

“Alison is a wonderful girl,” he beams. “Not many people noticed this, but when I came off the 18th green at St Georges, my parents were there. Alison took a wee step back to let them be first to greet me. She is so classy. I’m a fortunate man to have found her. The boys love her to bits too. I’m about to enter a new chapter in my life both on and off the course.”

Knowing Darren, it will be a lively read. So stay tuned.