Darren Clarke ‘proud’ of team’s fightback

• Clarke ‘massively proud’ of team after fightback
• 0-4 deficit turned into 3-5 after opening day’s play
• “The golf was scintillating” says European captain

Darren Clarke declared himself ‘massively proud’ after his European team bounced back from the humiliation of a 0-4 whitewash in the opening session of this year’s Ryder Cup to win the afternoon fourballs 3-1 to leave the match much more delicately poised going into day two.

Wins for Henrik Stenson Stenson and Justin Rose, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia, and Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters changed the complexion of a match that, after the foursomes, appeared to be quickly unravelling for the Europeans.

Now, though, they trail only 5-3 and, crucially, have all the momentum ahead of the second day’s play, much to the delight of their skipper Clarke.

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“I’m massively proud of them all,” said the Northern Irishman. “We were bitterly disappointed at lunchtime. They just didn’t play the way we all know they can but, in saying that, America did. That’s the beauty of matchplay golf. The guys came out this afternoon and, being behind as far as we were, to put in a performance like that? I couldn’t be more proud of them. The golf was scintillating. They gave everything this afternoon and it means an awful lot.

“They have accepted everything that’s going on because we’re a team” – Darren Clarke

“Even the other guys that haven’t been playing thus far. They have accepted everything that’s going on because we’re a team and everybody is a part of it. My big thing this week has been for us to stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ and that’s what they’re doing. It just shows how strong the guys are to come out and put in that performance this afternoon.”

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Clarke’s opposite number, Davis Love III, above, was philosophical after seeing his team’s early advantage halved by Europe’s afternoon salvo.

“We had a great morning; they had a great afternoon,” he said. “Thankfully, we got a point out of it but, you know, we played good and shot low scores. We just got beat by a team that was playing unbelievable golf. Everybody on our team was under-par, so we didn’t play bad. We just didn’t play great, whereas their team did.”

Darren Clarke: Your thoughts so far?

What have you made of Darren Clarke’s European captaincy so far? What has he got right? What has he got wrong? Leave your thoughts in our ‘Comments’ section below.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor