The Open: Darren Clarke makes a sensational start at Portrush
By Keith Jackson at Royal Portrush
Last Updated: 18/07/19 1:02pm
Darren Clarke made the ideal start to The 148th Open as he got the championship under way in front of his home fans at Royal Portrush.
The 2011 Champion Golfer of the Year, who has a house overlooking the course, looked full of emotion as he was given a rapturous reception on the first tee surrounded by packed stands, but he held himself together to knock a good drive up the right side of the fairway.
And, once playing-partners James Sugrue and Charley Hoffman had hit their tee shots, Clarke even stopped for a quick chat with long-time friend Paul McGinley, who was commentating live for Sky Sports The Open with Rich Beem and Sarah Stirk.
Things soon got even better for the 50-year-old when he clipped his approach to 12 feet and nailed the putt for birdie to claim the early lead and, after a good par save at the second, he hit a sublime tee-shot in close at the short third and tapped in to the delight of the galleries.
Clarke then jumped into the outright lead again with another precise approach to the fifth which he converted to get to three under, but he then blocked an ambitious four-iron into deep trouble on the long seventh and ended up doing well to scramble a six.
The back nine was more of a struggle as he mixed two more birdies with four bogeys, including three in four holes from the 14th, but he closed out a level-par 71 with a good four at the last before reflecting on an enjoyable occasion.
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"I didn't think I'd feel the way I did," he said. "But the support from the crowds when I was about to hit my tee shot, I thought 'wow, it's The Open Championship, we're back in Portrush'. It was amazing. It was good.
"As I told you, I was going to enjoy myself all week. And I probably smiled a little bit more today than I have been, than I normally do. But I was trying to show my appreciation to all the people around here today. So it was wonderful.
"It was more emotional than I thought it was going to be, to be honest. I knew the golf course was going to be fabulous and I was very proud to be standing on that first tee hitting the first shot."
Watch the video above to see how Darren Clarke fared with the opening blow of The 148th Open at Royal Portrush. Follow all the action live on Sky Sports The Open, or via our extensive live blog ...
