In a thirteen month record breaking run three Northern Ireland golfers won majors on either side of the Atlantic, doing so at very different venues, in differing weather conditions and at very different stages of their lives. So watching the reactions of each of the three victors, has also been an interesting sideshow with Darren Clarke perhaps attracting the most newspaper inches, with ongoing tales of legendary partying late into the morning hours. So much so, that The Open champion was happy to get back to talking golf when he arrived in his Ferrari to the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland last week.
This week in Firestone for the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, Clarke will be rightly feted for his achievement at Royal St. George, which had added flavour for him given he was twenty-one years a trying. In all his post presentation interviews the ever popular Dungannon man has been articulate, thoughtful, frank and at times emotional – especially recalling his wife Heather – who died a couple of years ago after a lengthy battle with illness. Aside from perhaps one ill timed interview the morning after the night before, Darren Clarke has done more for golf around the country, and for the many club hackers, who will now believe they too can win the Captain’s prize.
His speech at The Open, after being handed the claret jug, was remarkable. Not only for its composure, but its warmth, sincerity, emotion and total generosity to all those who had kept him gong during those darker days. Those included in that group were his immediate family, and his manager, Andrew “Chubby” Chandler, who still based their relationship on the original handshake in a Dublin office some two decades ago. Ironically his caddie, John Mulrooney, who was a stand-in for the weekend, was not part of the immediate story in the normal sense of these things, as they had not been working together for decades.
Unlike Tiger Woods who used to have Steve Williams by his side in them good old 14 major days. Or Phil Mickelson in 2004 who with Jim “Bones” McKay won fist masters tile. Or at St Andrews in 2010 when Louis Oosthuizen had long time caddie Zack Rasego on his bag. Or even at Pebble Beach where Graeme McDowell had Ken Comboy – voted HSBC Caddie of the Year last year.
On the eighteenth green in Sandwich, what was clearly evident was that at 42 years of age, winning the Open Championship could really be appreciated by Clarke and the achievement savoured even more longer term given Clarke had held off the world’s best over the four days, playing in the toughest of conditions – on what is largely recognised as the toughest of the courses on the Open rota. Now no longer was “Clarkey” the nearly man.
The youthfulness of the 22 year old US Open Champion, Rory McIlroy, contrasts sharply the totally different personality of the two players. Whereas Clarke talked about trying to garner more majors in the weeks after his win, McIlroy is targeting more majors knowing that he has a considerable time advantage on his side now that he was won his maiden one. The sense of impatience only added to when the accolades flowed after his impressive wire-to-wire Congressional win suggesting he was capable of matching the records set by Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
None of it helped by the fact that all three coincidentally won their first major at the same age – a tender twenty-two.
A bit like Jack Nicklaus’ early unpopularity when he first came on the scene in 1962 to beat America’s golfing icon, Arnold Palmer, the Holywood golfer is destined to ruffle a few more feathers in his major chase if he continues the same he has done over recent years. Indeed, the news this week that he has now decided to hold a PGA Tour card and plans to play mostly on the other side of the Atlantic, cannot please the European Tour. It is also a perspective that completely contradicts what was said a year ago – and perhaps cost him the PGA Rookie of the Year award.
At the time Chubby Chandler explained that McIlroy would not take up membership on the PGA Tour due to the season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs.
“He’ll play more, but he won’t play (the obligatory) 15 though. I think that’s too difficult. He might play a couple more . . . and if they relax the rule, he might get up to 12 or 13, but he will not play 15.”
The US Open winner caused headaches at the PGA Tour last year with his decision - having won the Quail Hollow Championship – given that once a member rescinds their card they are restricted to just 10 events, including the four major championships and three domestic World Golf Championship tournaments.
But on a number of occasions controversy has followed McIlroy, and most of it is self-inflicted and characterised by his youthful exuberance. Indeed, ahead of the 2010 Ryder Cup in Celtic Manor the Ulsterman, suggesting he was was under whelmed by the competition
"If somebody asks me whether I'd rather sink the winning putt in the Ryder Cup or win a major, it's the major every day," McIlroy said in the Independent. "World championship or Ryder Cup? Win a world championship. At the end of the day you're going to be remembered for what you achieve in an individual sport."
He then added fuel to the flames when he suggested the same week that the world No. 1 at the time had lost some of his aura following all his personal troubles and no wins in 2010 comeback. "After what's happened in the last 18 months - he's still a fantastic guy and I'm sure he'll get back to it - but for the meantime I suppose a little bit of that aura has probably gone,"
In the wake of The Open this year many of the major winning veterans gathered at Walton Heath for the Senior Open Championship were prompted to comment when McIlroy suggested he was not a fan of bad weather golf - and would not change his game to adapt to one week of golf. Albeit a major, where the "outcome is predicted so much by the weather."
It prompted 1991 Masters champion Ian Woosnam to say "He's only a young kid, he's going to say the wrong things every now and then and he's probably now thinking, 'What the hell have I said,' "
“Of course, to be a true golfer, you have to be able to play around the world, play in different kind of golf conditions. Tiger (Woods) adapted, (Jack) Nicklaus adapted, (Arnold) Palmer adapted. They all adapted. He needs to adapt. It's his age, but he's got the ability to do whatever he wants to do."
Nick Price, who mastered Turnberry in 1994, was surprised that McIlroy held such views, given he grew up playing so links golf in Northern Ireland.
"He has to get his mindset right for that -- he's going to have 20 or 30 Open Championships in his career and he doesn't want to have that attitude," Price said. "He'd better get out there and start liking those courses and figure out a way to play. If he's a good enough player, he will do that.
Only last week at the Irish Open McIlroy was involved in an unnecessary Twitter row with commentator Jay Townsend that overshadowed his four days in Killarney somewhat. If Rory is PGA Tour bound he will undoubtedly have a more Tweets with Townsend, but no doubt he will need to be guided he settles in Florida. And perhaps that will come from his new partner, tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.
Which brings us nicely to the last of the current Northern Ireland major trio, McDowell, who broke the European duck at Pebble Beach, finally matching Tony Jacklin's win of 1970 – even if he has endured a mediocre season so far this year. As a partner to Rory in the 2010 Ryder Cup he will undeniably offer close guidance if they both end up living side by side in Lake Nona. A touch of that business like approach by Portrush's own son would not go amiss where neither Tweeting, nor interviews add unneeded newspaper column inches.
Matched with an ability to see the bigger picture, McDowell undertook his twelve month commitment with the US Open trophy selflessly, crisscrossing the globe and ensuring golf fans in China, Middle East, Asia USA and Europe got a chance to see it – or even touch it. Although the odyssey may have cost him focus on the course, McDowell never faltered, and still allowed him time to search for a plan that could keep golf tournaments in Ireland – North or South. Like his golf in 2010, where he swept all in sundry at the Celtic Manor on two occasions, Pebble Beach and the Chevron - in Tiger Wood’s own backyard, he US Open is also different to the others, just as gritty perhaps, but then solid, reliable and passionate - all in equal measure.
Would have been unlikely for him to arrive to Killarney in a Ferrari – major winner or not.
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