NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Darren Clarke is in good spirits when I meet him in St Andrews, not only because of his newly established ambassadorial role with Loch Lomond Whiskies (the Spirit of The Open), but also because he has a good deal to look forward to over the coming months and years. The Open returning to his home town of Portrush this July for starters. Then Royal St George’s in 2020 – the scene of his tremendous triumph in 2011. On top of that, Clarke has embarked on his senior playing career and, with off-course interests thriving, the Northern Irishman is clearly in a good place.

“There’s a lot going on and it’s all pretty exciting,” he says. “It’s set to be an interesting couple of years.”

Club golfers in the UK have always felt an association with Clarke – he’s not so different from us, is he? He enjoys a laugh, a pint, playing golf with old friends