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Darren Clarke

Northern Ireland · born , Dungannon, Northern Ireland

1major championship

Summary

  • First major 2011 The Open
  • Ryder Cup 5 Cups · 10-7-3 · 11.5 points (57.5%)
  • Ryder Cup captain 2016
  • Runner-up in majors 1 time
  • 2024 PGA Tour 1 events · 0 top 10s

Wins

  1. 2011 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · 275 (-5) · by 3 strokes from Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson

Near misses

  1. 1997 The Open Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · runner-up to Justin Leonard · 275
  2. 2000 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T7 · 280 (-8)
  3. 2001 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished T3 · 278 (-6)

Ryder Cup

5 Cups, 20 matches: 10 won, 7 lost, 3 halved, 11.5 points. Foursomes 3-3-0, four-ball 6-2-1, singles 1-2-2.

  1. 1997 Valderrama Golf Club Europe · Europe won 14.5–13.5 · 1-1-0, 1 point · automatic
  2. 1999 The Country Club (Championship/Composite Course) Europe · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 2-3-0, 2 points · automatic
  3. 2002 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) Europe · Europe won 15.5–12.5 · 1-2-2, 2 points · automatic
  4. 2004 Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course) Europe · Europe won 18.5–9.5 · 3-1-1, 3.5 points · automatic
  5. 2006 The K Club (Palmer Course) Europe · Europe won 18.5–9.5 · 3-0-0, 3 points · captain's pick
  6. 2016 Captain Europe · lost 11–17

Rivals

Beat him

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Justin Leonard's rivals →

Moments

  1. 2011 Open Two strokes back with five to play, Dustin Johnson hit his second shot out of bounds at the par-5 14th and made double bogey.
  2. 2011 Open Mickelson went out in 30 on Sunday to tie Clarke for the lead, then faded on the back nine.
  3. 2006 Ryder Cup Darren Clarke, a captain's pick playing about a month after his wife's death, went 3–0–0.

Records and firsts

  1. — Open most starts before a first win · 20 (Darren Clarke (2011); Phil Mickelson (2013))

Results by championship

    Best day

    2011 The Open

    Royal St George's Golf Club · 275 (-5) · by 3 strokes from Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson

    Two strokes back with five to play, Dustin Johnson hit his second shot out of bounds at the par-5 14th and made double bogey.

    Mickelson went out in 30 on Sunday to tie Clarke for the lead, then faded on the back nine.

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 2011.

    Career line, 1997–2024

    The Open
    1997 The Open: runner-up to Justin Leonard2000 The Open: finished T72001 The Open: finished T32011 The Open: won
    Ryder Cup
    1997 Ryder Cup (Europe): 1-1-01999 Ryder Cup (Europe): 2-3-02002 Ryder Cup (Europe): 1-2-22004 Ryder Cup (Europe): 3-1-12006 Ryder Cup (Europe): 3-0-0
    PGA Tour 2024–26
    2024 PGA Tour season: 1 events
    200020102020

    10 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10
    • Ryder Cup, GB / Europe
    • Tour season

    Darren Clarke was born on August 14, 1968, in Dungannon, Northern Ireland. Clarke won one major championship: the 2011 Open. Clarke played in 5 Ryder Cups for Europe (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006), winning 10, losing 7 and halving 3 of 20 matches for 11.5 points, and captained the side in 2016. In the 2024 PGA Tour season, Clarke played 1 event.

    See Darren Clarke in our rooms: The Open and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (1)

    1. 2011 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · 275 (-5) · by 3 strokes from Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1997 The Open Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · runner-up to Justin Leonard · 275
    2. 2000 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T7 · 280 (-8)
    3. 2001 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished T3 · 278 (-6)

    Ryder Cup

    Clarke played 5 Ryder Cups for Europe: 20 matches, 10 won, 7 lost, 3 halved, 11.5 points (57.5% of those available). By format: foursomes 3-3-0, four-ball 6-2-1, singles 1-2-2 (won-lost-halved). Vice-captain: 2010; 2012.

    1. 1997 Valderrama Golf Club Europe · Europe won 14.5–13.5 · 1-1-0, 1 point · automatic
    2. 1999 The Country Club (Championship/Composite Course) Europe · USA won 14.5–13.5 · 2-3-0, 2 points · automatic
    3. 2002 The Belfry (Brabazon Course) Europe · Europe won 15.5–12.5 · 1-2-2, 2 points · automatic
    4. 2004 Oakland Hills Country Club (South Course) Europe · Europe won 18.5–9.5 · 3-1-1, 3.5 points · automatic
    5. 2006 The K Club (Palmer Course) Europe · Europe won 18.5–9.5 · 3-0-0, 3 points · captain's pick
    6. 2016 Captain Europe · lost 11–17

    Partners, with matches played together: Lee Westwood (8), Thomas Bjørn (3), Colin Montgomerie (1), Paul McGinley (1), Miguel Ángel Jiménez (1), Ian Poulter (1).

    PGA Tour seasons, 2024–2026

    1. 2024 Season 1 events · 0 wins · 0 top 10s · 1 cuts made · $38,525 official money

    2026 runs through the Baycurrent Classic (ended October 11, 2026).

    Records and firsts

    Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

    1. — Open most starts before a first win · 20 (Darren Clarke (2011); Phil Mickelson (2013))

    Sources

    Elsewhere: Wikipedia · Wikidata.

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. where2golf
    2. WP: List of European Ryder Cup golfers
    3. WP: Darren Clarke
    4. Golf Compendium
    5. Wikidata: Q531845
    6. GC 2011
    7. R&A 2000
    8. R&A 2001
    9. GC: 1997 ryder cup
    10. SI Vault 1997 — link no longer works (checked October 17, 2026): https://vault.si.com/vault/1997/08/25/you-da-man-lee-janzen-made-tom-kites-job-as-captain-a-little-easier-by-proving-with-his-play-at-winged-foot-that-he-belonged-on-the-ryder-cup-team
    11. Wikipedia: 1997 Ryder Cup
    12. GC: 1999 ryder cup
    13. Wikipedia: 1999 Ryder Cup
    14. CBS News 1999
    15. Golf Channel
    16. GC: 2002 ryder cup
    17. SI Vault 2001 — link no longer works (checked October 17, 2026): https://vault.si.com/vault/2001/08/27/tough-calls-picking-the-ryder-cup-wild-cards-was-a-difficult-job-but-somebody-namely-curtis-strange-had-to-do-it
    18. Deseret News 2001
    19. Wikipedia: 2002 Ryder Cup
    20. GC: 2004 ryder cup
    21. Golf Channel 2004
    22. Wikipedia: 2004 Ryder Cup
    23. GC: 2006 ryder cup
    24. 2006 WP mirror (2007 snapshot)
    25. Wikipedia: 2006 Ryder Cup
    26. WP Ryder Cup
    27. ESPN statistics API
    28. Golf Today records