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The last time The Open was held at Royal St George’s in 2011, Darren Clarke produced a wonderful performance to win the 140th edition in his 20th appearance at golf’s original major.
However, the Northern Irishman was certainly not among the favourites before the tournament. Despite Clarke’s excellent pedigree at The Open and the fact his game is well-suited to links courses, the Ulsterman arrived at Royal St George’s as a 125-1 outsider having slipped out of the world's top 100.
As Lee Westwood illustrates, the change in fortunes Clarke experienced between the practice rounds in 2011 and the Championship itself was truly the stuff of fairytale.
“I always felt it was just a matter of time until he won an Open Championship. His game is made for it really,” said Westwood. “But at Royal St George’s, I didn’t picture him winning that one, because I played some practice rounds with him earlier in the week, and one of them he actually walked off, because he’d had enough.
“So if you asked me at the start of the week, 'Is he going to win it?' I’d have said, 'No, he’s more likely to finish last.' And sure enough he’s holding the trophy on Sunday night.”
To read more from Lee Westwood and Dr Bob Rotella on Clarke’s success at Royal St George’s, visit https://www.theopen.com/latest/2021/03/clarkes-unlikely-road-to-victory.
The R&A