Darren Clarke became just the fourth man to claim both Claret Jugs as he played a canny and nerveless game in the wet on the King’s Course at Gleneagles to take the Senior Open.
The Northern Irishman, Open champion in 2011, follows Sir Bob Charles, Gary Player and Tom Watson as winners of both titles. Padraig Harrington will have to wait to join them as he finished a shot back from Clarke’s 10-under aggregate of 270.
Two-hour delay for heavy rain
"Oooh… Options… It'll be good!" 🤣🤣🤣
Darren Clarke 👑 pic.twitter.com/rnepgt9oBM
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 24, 2022
Clarke had to wait through a two-hour delay for flooded greens as the glorious summer finally broke with heavy rainstorms. But he didn’t flinch all afternoon and into the evening.
A huge 70 foot putt to within a foot at the last secured the necessary birdie four to complete his final round 69 and claim the £370,000 first prize.
“I made no secret that I wanted to win this one more than anything,” he said. “When I turned 50 this was the one I wanted to win so I could sit it aside the other one.
“The Open was the one I always wanted to win as a kid. From when I went on the Senior Tour this is what I wanted to win.
“I’m very fortunate. Fulfilling your dreams is a very lucky thing to happen and I’ve been able to do it a few times in my career.”
Harrington’s missed chances
If I hit it like this for the rest of my life I’d be happy. That’s assuming I only live till midnight. @ChampionsTour @euLegendsTour https://t.co/XmvMUNyVue
— Padraig Harrington (@padraig_h) July 24, 2022
Harrington could possibly have snatched it from him the way Cameron Smith did at the Open last week. But the double Open champion of 2007 and 2008 wasn’t able to convert reasonable eagle chances on the 14th and 18th.
Harrington saw a host of other putts go by the hole all weekend, negating his massive distance advantage over the field. He converted the birdie at the last to get to nine-under and tied for the lead.
But Clarke had just one false shot all day – his second on the 10th which cost him a bogey six. Other than that he was super-solid and while one birdie putt somewhere before 18 would have saved a lot of stress, he finally got what he needed there.
“The conditions, it’s what I grew up playing in. It doesn’t make it any easier, and at the start it was a bit of a battle.
“I was pretty much cruising until I made a terrible swing on 10 with my second shot. All of a sudden I turned an easy birdie into a bad bogey.
“From there it was keep my head down and I hit some really good shots, kept giving myself chances but the putter was a little bit cold all week. I didn’t hole anything of note. But whenever I had to do it on 18 there I had to get one up close.
“I’ve grown up playing links and 70 feet putts are no big deal, we all know that. It was dry and pretty tight. As two-footers go it was tough enough, you’ve still got to knock it in! It was nice to get it up really close.”
‘This Claret Jug doesn’t hold as much’
Winning moment for @DarrenClarke60 🙌 pic.twitter.com/TMUgmr5uCp
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) July 24, 2022
The celebrations in 2011 went famously well into the morning, but a Senior Open win will be a lot less wild, he said.
“This Claret Jug doesn’t hold as much,” he said. “I’ll have a few celebratory drinks tonight. But I feel privileged and humbled to win this event.”
There were a host of opportunities for others. Senior PGA champion Steven Alker from New Zealand will rue two three-putts – on the 14th for bogey and 18th for par. American Doug Barron reached eight-under and had makeable birdie putts in the last three holes, but didn’t even burn the hole with any of them.
Thailand’s Thongdai Jaidee reached the 18th with a chance to get to nine-under but hit into a bunker and knifed his third across the green, barely escaping with a par. Ernie Els did get a birdie at 18, but he always looked at least a shot light.
Monty, Lawrie finish in top 10
A story about @PaulLawriegolf: when I asked if he’d be a guest on our Open Roadtrip, he immediately said yes, interrupting his holiday to do so and was charming, funny and generous with his time
Add to this what he’s done for junior golf in Scotland. He’s GENUINELY grown the game https://t.co/EWkDEIvsUk— Jamie Weir (@jamiecweir) July 20, 2022
Colin Montgomerie’s bid for a redemptive win 30 years on from his famous Scottish Open loss to Peter O’Malley began brightly. Fuelled by a copious supply of jelly babies from the Auchterarder Co-Op, he birdied the first from 20 feet.
But what might be his last chance to claim this title – at 59 – slipped from his grasp with bogeys at the 8th and 9th. By the time the rains came he was a tantalising three shots behind Clarke – just too far with the Northern Irishman not looking like faltering.
Paul Lawrie finished on a high with a monstrous 70-foot putt to eagle the 18th to reach five-under. Tenth is his best finish in three starts in the Senior Open, and he felt it was due.
“It was no more than I deserved, to be honest, as I played lovely over the weekend,” he said. “I made a double and triple yesterday and still shot one-under.
“Today I hit a lot of really good putts that didn’t go in, then you hole a 70-footer to finish. It was probably about right, to be honest, and I’m happy enough with that as I don’t play a lot of competitive golf these days.”