Consistency Wins Championships

Only a select group of golfers have the opportunity to play in golf's major championships, and just four trophies are distributed each year. 42-year-old Darren Clarke had three Top 10 finishes in 55 major appearances prior to the 2011 British Open. However, in attempt #56, Clarke won The Open Championship at Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. He became the oldest player to win the British Open since 1967 after shooting an even par 70 on Sunday. His -5 was enough to give him a three-stroke victory over Dustin Johnson, his partner in the final group, and Phil Mickelson, who started off the day at even but was at one point -6 and tied for the lead. This was certainly an emotional win, as it was his first PGA Tour win since the passing of his wife five years ago. With Clarke's win, the last 12 major winners have all been different players.

Northern Ireland is on quite the hot streak when it comes to golf. Three of the last six major winners have been from Northern Ireland, with the last two U.S. Open's ending with Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell on top. McIlroy even tweeted about Clarke's success, saying "Northern Ireland...... Golf capital of the world!!" We all know how amazing McIlroy's win was, and we can't take anything away from McDowell's, but the consistency Clarke showed throughout the tournament was outstanding, going 68-68-69-70 with no rounds over par. Clarke missed just two greens on Saturday, and while he struggled to convert for birdies, his iron play was phenomenal. No one over the age of 40 had won a major since 2004 when Vijay Singh won the PGA Championship, and you could easily say experience played a factor in this one. While many players' lost their composure as the weather exacerbated over the weekend, Clarke's did not. 18 players made the cut with scores under par, and by the time Clarke tapped in for an 18th-hole par on Sunday, just four were below even.

I'm sure Clarke had a sense of nostalgia when he won because of his wife. However, while he remembers his wife when he reminisces of this victory, we will remember him. His sedate body language along with his extremely consistent play will make Darren Clarke's 2011 British Open title remembered for a long time.