Darren Clarke

Exempt status

• PGA TOUR Champions: Top 54 Charles Schwab Cup Points (43), PGA TOUR Points (5)

JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR: 2003

PGA TOUR Victories (3)

2000 Season

• World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship

2003 Season

• World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational

2011 Season

• The Open Championship

PGA TOUR Champions Victories (4)

2020-21 Season

• TimberTech Championship
• Sanford International
• Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai

2022 Season

• The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex

International Victories (15)

• 1993 Alfred Dunhill Open [Eur]
• 1996 Linde German Masters [Eur]
• 1998 Benson and Hedges International Open [Eur]
• 1998 Volvo Masters [Eur]
• 1999 Compass Group English Open [Eur]
• 2000 Compass Group English Open [Eur]
• 2001 Dimension Data Pro-Am [SAf]
• 2001 The Chunichi Crowns [Jpn]
• 2001 Smurfit European Open [Eur]
• 2002 Compass Group English Open
• 2003 Northern Ireland Masters [EurChall]
• 2004 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters [Jpn]
• 2008 BMW Asian Open [Eur]
• 2008 KLM Open [Eur]
• 2011 Iberdrola Open [Eur]

PLAYOFF RECORD

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS (1-0)

• 2020-21 Defeated K.J. Choi, Steve Flesch, Sanford International

National Teams

• 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006 Ryder Cup
• 2016 Ryder Cup Captain
• 1994, 1995, 1996 World Cup
• 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Dunhill Cup
• 2000, 2002, 2003, 2011 Seve Trophy
• 2007 Royal Trophy

Personal

• Involved in course architecture. His first course, Pinnacle Point, opened in late 2006 near Mossel Bay in the southern Cape of South Africa. Other designs include Castle Dargan and Moyvalley in Ireland and the Angus in Scotland. In 2002, formed the Darren Clarke Foundation to help Irish junior golf and discover the Irish stars of the future. "I have a debt to Irish golf, and I wanted to give something back to the Golfing Union of Ireland and golf in this country."

Special Interests

• Liverpool Football Club, reading, cars, fishing

CURRENT YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

• Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai: The 2021 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai winner finished T2 at 17-under. Opened with 7-under 65 to share the first-round lead before closing with 66-68.

Career Highlights

2023 Season

• Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai: The 2021 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai winner finished T2 at 17-under. Opened with 7-under 65 to share the first-round lead before closing with 66-68.

2022 Season

• DICK'S Sporting Goods Open: A first-round co-leader at DICK'S Sporting Goods Open, tallied 65-72-69 to finish T6.
• The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex: Captured his first senior major title at The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex. Posted 65-67-69-69 to finish one stroke ahead of runner-up Padraig Harrington. Became the fourth golfer to win both The Open and The Senior Open, joining Bob Charles, Gary Player and Tom Watson. Marked his fourth win on PGA TOUR Champions.

2021 Season

• Charles Schwab Cup Championship: Finished T3 after shooting rounds of 68-67-68-64 – 267 (-17) at the 2021 Charles Schwab Cup and tied for the most birdies (24) during the tournament.
• Sanford International: Earned his third win of the season at the 2021 Sanford International, defeating Steve Flesch and K.J. Choi in a playoff. Carded rounds of 63-70-65, overcoming a four-stroke deficit entering the final round.
• The Ally Challenge: Carded rounds of 66-70-70 to finish T10 at the 2021 Ally Challenge and earned his seventh top-10 of the season.
• The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex: Was co-leader after the first round and solo leader after the second round of the 2021 Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex. Finished third at 11-under, two strokes behind champion Stephen Dodd. Carded rounds of 65-67-70-67.
• DICK'S Sporting Goods Open: Recorded 9-under 207 and finished T8 at the 2021 DICK’S Sporting Goods Open. Carded his best round of the tournament on Saturday (68).
• Regions Tradition: Led after the first round of the 2021 Regions Tradition when he shot 66. Followed it up with scores of 71-71-72 to finish T8.
• Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai: Captured his second consecutive win on PGA TOUR Champions, edging runner-up Retief Goosen by two strokes at the 2021 Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. Shot 64 in the final round, including a back-nine 30, to post 21-under in his tournament debut at Hualalai. Opened with rounds of 63-68 to share the lead entering the final round and improved to 2-for-3 when leading/co-leading with 18 holes to play.

2020 Season

• Charles Schwab Series at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge: Carded rounds of 66-67-70 and finished T9 at the Charles Schwab Series at Bass Pro Shops Big Cedar Lodge, his first top-10 since the 2019 Senior Open Championship.

2019 Season

Carded four top-10s, including a season-best T2 finish at the Cologuard Classic, and finished 43rd in the Charles Schwab Cup.

• The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex: The 2011 Open Championship winner carded rounds of 68-68-73-71 – 280 (E) to finish T10 in his debut at The Senior Open Championship.
• Mastercard Japan Championship: Posted rounds of 68-70-69 and finished T4 at the Mastercard Japan Championship, his third top-10 of the season.
• Cologuard Classic: Finished a career-best runner-up at the Cologuard Classic after carding six final-round birdies, including a 50-foot putt on the par-4 18th.
• Oasis Championship: Carded rounds of 67-75-65–207 to finish T10 at the Oasis Championship.

2018 Season

Made six appearances in his first year on PGA TOUR Champions. Posted a season-best T24 finish at the Boeing Classic. Finished No. 90 in the standings.

• Boeing Classic: In his PGA TOUR Champions debut, Clarke carded rounds of 68-76-66 and finished T24 at the Boeing Classic.

2016 Season

• 2016 EURASIA Cup: Captained Europe to a 18.5-5.5 win over Asia in the 2016 EURASIA Cup in Kuala Lumpur in January.

2015 Season

Played in six PGA TOUR events during the season, making only one cut. Played in 12 European Tour events.

• Masters Tournament: T52 at the Masters Tournament in April.
• Tshwane Open: Picked up a T15 on the Southern Africa Tour in March, following rounds in the 60s (67-68-69) over his final 54 holes at the Tshwane Open.
• BMW International Open: Best finish on the European Tour was a T20 at the BMW International Open.

2014 Season

Finished the season No. 195 in the FedExCup standings, with five made cuts in 15 starts.

• The Open Championship: Was T26 at The Open Championship for his best outing of the season.

2013 Season

Made two of three cuts on TOUR as a non-member.

• The Open Championship: Had a best finish of T21 at The Open Championship.
• Volvo Golf Champions: Only other top-25 performance during the season was a T22 at the Volvo Golf Champions in Durban, South Africa.

2012 Season

Made seven PGA TOUR starts.

• The Open Championship: In defense of his Open Championship title, he missed the cut.
• World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship: Finished T43 at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship his best stroke-play performance.
• World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship: Lost in the first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, to T33.
• Australian PGA Championship: Was the top non-Australian finisher at the Australian PGA Championship, shooting a final-round 68 to T8.
• Volvo Golf Champions: Was T20 in his opening European Tour event, at the Volvo Golf Champions. Dropped way back on the weekend after rounds of 73-76.

2011 Season

• The Open Championship: Making his 54th start in a major championship, posted four rounds of par or better to defeat Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson by three strokes at The Open Championship. Only Tom Kite (72 starts) and Mark O'Meara (59 starts) took longer to win their first major. By winning at Royal St. George's, which he did by leading after the final three rounds, became just the second Open champion from Northern Ireland, joining Fred Daly in 1947. He is the fourth player from that country to win a major, including three of the last six (2010 U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell and 2011 U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy). The win, coming in his 20th start at The Open Championship, was his third in a PGA TOUR event and 14th on the European Tour. It was also the sixth straight by a first-time major winner and by an international player. With the victory, the 42-year-old became the oldest Open Championship winner since Roberto De Vicenzo won in 1967 at age 44 years, 93 days and the oldest major winner since Ben Crenshaw won the Masters Tournament in 1995.
• Iiberdrola Open: Came from four strokes off the pace to win his 13th European Tour title, at the Iberdrola Open in Mallorca, Spain. Overcame Chris Wood by shooting a final-round 69 to win on the European Tour for the first time since his 2008 KLM Open title in the Netherlands.

2010 Season

Enjoyed a solid season, with three top 10s on two separate tours.

• Joburg Open: Also was a runner-up at the Joburg Open at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington GC. Despite shooting four rounds in the 60s (63-69-67-68) still fell six strokes short of eventual winner Charl Schwartzel.
• The Barclays Scottish Open: Led at the halfway point of the Barclays Scottish Open and was one behind Edoardo Molinari after 54 holes at Loch Lomond. A double bogey on the third hole in the sloppy, wet weather proved to be his undoing, as he went on to shoot a final-round 76.
• Avantha Masters: Finished T8 at the Avantha Masters in India on the Asian Tour.

2009 Season

Enjoyed strong play in the latter half of the season to record three top-10s on the European Tour.

• World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational: Best PGA TOUR finish was a T22 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.
• KLM Open: Had a best finish of T5 at the KLM Open in late August.

2008 Season

Won twice on the European Tour, his first wins there since 2003.

• World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational: Recorded a T6 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. his third top-10 at the event.
• KLM Open: In late August, won the KLM Open in the Netherlands by four strokes over Paul McGinley.
• BMW Asian Open: Captured the BMW Asian Open in April in China, sinking a 40-foot birdie putt on the final green to beat Robert-Jan Derksen by one.

2007 Season

• World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship: Best PGA TOUR finish was a T33 at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, as he continued to deal with the 2006 death of his wife, Heather.
• The Barclays Scottish Open: Best finish worldwide was a T19 at the Barclays Scottish Open on the European Tour.

2006 Season

Was limited to 11 events due to his wife's long-term illness and passing on Aug. 13 at age 39 after a battle with cancer. Granted special release as he fell shy of PGA TOUR-minimum appearances of 15. Placed 125th on the money list. On the European Tour, played in 14 events.

• Ryder Cup: Did not play following a missed cut at The Open Championship until the Ryder Cup, where as a captain's pick he compiled a 3-0-0 record for the winning European squad.
• Bay Hill Invitational Presented by MasterCard: Had a best finish of T3 at the Bay Hill Invitational.
• Nissan Irish Open: Compiled a solo third at the Nissan Irish Open. Tournament was noteworthy for the Ulsterman, as he chipped out into the fairway on No. 9 in the final round, basically taking a penalty stroke, despite finding a perfect lie on Monday after a rain-induced suspension of the final round Sunday. After finding the rains had dramatically improved the position of his ball, he explained his thought process, "Honesty is part and parcel of the game and I could not have acted any other way," he said. Made a bogey on the hole and finished two behind Thomas Bjorn. Nissan Irish Open.

2005 Season

Played in just 12 events due to his wife's cancer treatment and received special release from completing his 15 required tournaments. Ended his streak of winning on at least one tour since 1997. Matched career high (2003) with five top-10s on the PGA TOUR.

• Shell Houston Open: One week later, rebounded with a T4 finish at the Shell Houston Open, aided by a final-round 5-under-par 67.
• MCI Heritage: Held a six-shot lead through 36 holes at the MCI Heritage, but finished T2 after posting weekend rounds of 73-76 at Harbour Town. Was four strokes ahead of 54-hole leader Peter Lonard through the fifth hole in the final round, but played his last 13 holes 9-over par with three double bogeys, including one on the 72nd hole when tied with Lonard.
• Masters Tournament: Recorded T17 at the Masters Tournament, best showing since T8 in his first start at Augusta in 1998.
• Bay Hill Invitational Presented by MasterCard: Posted a T8 at the Bay Hill Invitational, finishing with a final-round 68.
• Nissan Open: Finished T3, one shot out of a rain-shortened playoff with rounds of 66-68 at the Nissan Open. Aced the sixth hole with a 7-iron from 167 yards in the first round.
• AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am: In his first start of the TOUR season and first at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, finished T6.
• South African Airways Open Championship: Before heading to the United States, he started the season by finishing T4 at the South African Airways Open.

2004 Season

Finished in the top 30 (No. 28) on the PGA TOUR money list. Won on the Japan Tour late in the year to continue a streak of victories worldwide dating back to 1997. Finished eighth on the European Tour's Order of Merit with seven top-10s.

• Ryder Cup: Had 3-1-1 record for Europe's victorious Ryder Cup team.
• PGA Championship: Opened with a 65 to lead the PGA Championship, his best career round in a major.
• World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship: Past champion finished third at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, falling to Davis Love III in 21 holes in the semifinals. In consolation finals, beat Stephen Leaney, 2 and 1.

2003 Season

Totaled five top-10s in a career-high 16 events on the PGA TOUR. Eight-time European Tour winner failed to win in Europe for the first time since 1997. Joined the PGA TOUR as a Special Temporary Member on April 9. Made the TOUR Championship field by $9,768, with a total of $1,896,931 official/unofficial money earned (including $1,250,000 in World Golf Championships earnings), ranking 29th on the PGA TOUR money list. By finishing among the top 30 with his combination of official/unofficial money, the field increased to 31 players.

• World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational: Won the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational at Firestone CC in Akron, Ohio, joining Tiger Woods as the only players to win multiple World Golf Championships events. Second career World Golf Championships victory came by four strokes at Firestone CC, earning a career-best $1,050,000. Held one-shot lead over Jonathan Kaye entering final round. First European non-PGA TOUR member to win on the PGA TOUR since Retief Goosen won the U.S. Open in 2001.

2002 Season

• Shell Houston Open: Playing in his fourth PGA TOUR event of the year, was runner-up to Vijay Singh in the Shell Houston Open.
• The Compass Group English Open: In June, became the first person to win The Compass Group English Open three times.

2001 Season

• The Open Championship: Finished T3 at The Open Championship.
• The Crowns: Also won in Japan at the Chunichi Crowns before capturing his first European Tour title of the year in the Smurfit European Open at The K Club, the first Irishman to win in Ireland since John O'Leary 19 years earlier.
• Dimension Data Pro-Am: Won in South Africa for the first time, capturing the Dimension Data Pro-Am.

2000 Season

• World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship: Became first European to win World Golf Championships event. Defeated David Duval in semifinals and Tiger Woods in final to capture the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
• The Compass Group English Open: Followed that early season victory and $1-million payday in June by retaining the Compass Group English Open. Came from six strokes back in final round.

1999 Season

• Smurfit European Open: Became, at Smurfit European Open, first player on European Tour to shoot 60 twice (first 60 came at 1992 European Monte Carlo Open). Equaled three records: most birdies (12), consecutive birdies (eight) and low round on European Tour (ninth time 60 had been shot).
• The Compass Group English Open: Won the Compass Group European Open title.

1998 Season

• Benson & Hedges International Open: Won Benson and Hedges International Open en route to second-place finish on the Order of Merit. Runner-up placing came after capturing Volvo Masters with record-equaling 63.

1997 Season

• The Open Championship: Tied for runner-up honors to Justin Leonard at the 1997 The Open Championship at Royal Troon.

1994 Season

• U.S. Open Championship: Made his debut in the U.S. playing the U.S. Open but missing the cut.

1992 Season

• Honda Open: Contended all week in October at the Honda Open in Germany. Opened with a 71 at Gut Kaden then rallied with a 69-67-69 finish to finish solo second, three shots behind Bernhard Langer.
• Monte Carlo Open: Shot a final-round 65 at the European Monte Carlo Open to surge up the leaderboard into fourth place.

1991 Season

Turned pro and made 22 starts, with 19 of them coming on the European Tour. Had top-10s in all three of his Challenge Tour starts.

• The Open Championship: Was T65 in his first major championship, The Open Championship.
• Madrid Open: Had one European Tour top-10, a 10th-place finish at the Madrid Open.
• Zimbabwe Open: Added a top-10 at the Zimbabwe Open (eighth).
• Audi Open: Added at top-10 at the Audi Open (T9).
• Zambia Open: His best finish in his first start of the year was a T5 at the Zambia Open.

Amateur Highlights

• Winner of the 1989 East of Ireland Amateur.
• In 1990, captured the Spanish Open Amateur Championship, Irish Amateur Championship, North of Ireland Amateur and the South of Ireland Amateur.
• Made his European Tour debut, at the Carroll's Irish Open, finishing T50.