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• Darren Clarke looks back on maiden major win in 2011
• At 42, he became one of the oldest major winners in history
• Hails his ‘perseverance and a little bit of talent’

DARREN CLARKE | THE OPEN

Darren Clarke has been looking back on his Open triumph at Royal St George’s in 2011 and said his sheer ‘perseverance and talent’ saw him claim his maiden major title.

At the age of 42, the Northern Irishman defied the odds to become the oldest Open champion since Roberto De Vicenzo in 1967, carding four impressive rounds in Kent to see off nearest challengers Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson by three shots.

And in an Open preview video with TaylorMade, Darren Clarke reflected on what made his week so special as he prepares to take on the Old Course.

“We had a few too many drinks on the way down” – Darren Clarke

“The week before I was up in Scotland at Castle Stuart and I hit the ball well there but got heavily penalised for a couple of loose shots,” Clarke explained. “I was very frustrated by how I played on Sunday and that evening there was a private plane flying down to St George’s.

“We had a few too many drinks on the way down, I got up and played a couple of practice rounds with Lee Westwood on the Tuesday and Rory on the Wednesday and as the week went on, I just got more and more comfortable.”

CONTINUES BELOW…

Darren Clarke - 2011 Open Champion - Press Conference & Photocall

And just like most major wins, Darren Clarke revealed that he had some luck along the way as he failed to capitalise on some birdie opportunities on Saturday, but was fortunate with some of the breaks he got on the all-important final day.

“On Saturday, I probably played as well as I could possibly play,” he said. “I had so many birdie opportunities and for whatever reason I hardly holed anything at all but I did have some very fortuitous bounces on the Sunday.

“I wasn’t the youngest major champion in history but I got there in the end through perseverance and a little bit of talent.”

You can watch the full video with Darren Clarke below.

Darren Clarke :: Open champion

When do you think we’ll next see a major winner over the age of 40? Leave your thoughts in the ‘Comments’ section below.

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