Darren Clarke
Darren Christopher Clarke, OBE (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and has previously played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won 21 tournaments worldwide on a number of golf's main tours including the PGA Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Sunshine Tour. His biggest victory came when he won the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St George's in England, his first major win after more than 20 years and 54 attempts.
| Darren Clarke OBE | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Darren Christopher Clarke |
| Born | 14 August 1968 Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15.4 st) |
| Sporting nationality | Northern Ireland |
| Residence | Portrush, Northern Ireland Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Career | |
| College | Wake Forest University |
| Turned professional | 1990 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions European Senior Tour |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour |
| Professional wins | 27 |
| Highest ranking | 8 (22 July 2001) |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| European Tour | 14 |
| Japan Golf Tour | 3 |
| Asian Tour | 1 |
| Sunshine Tour | 1 |
| Challenge Tour | 1 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 4 |
| European Senior Tour | 1 |
| Other | 4 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | T8: 1998 |
| PGA Championship | T9: 2000 |
| U.S. Open | T10: 1999 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 2011 |
Clarke has also won two World Golf Championship events, most notably the 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, when he defeated Tiger Woods in the final. Clarke was ranked in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for 43 weeks between 2000 and 2002. His highest finish on the European Tour money list is second, which he achieved in 1998, 2000 and 2003. Clarke is currently ranked as the seventh highest career money winner on the European Tour.
Clarke has represented Ireland as both an amateur and as a professional, notably at the World Cup and Alfred Dunhill Cup, and was a member of five consecutive European Ryder Cup teams between 1997 and 2006.