IN TIME WITH BY BENNY TEO

DARREN CLARKE Darren Clarke (left) won the British TALKING PINTS Open in 2011. AND PUTTS our sport and to end up with my name on that is something I’ll always trea- ON THE sure and something I’ll nev- er forget.

And now, when you’re CHAMPIONS TOUR back with familiar faces on the over-50s, how is it going? hen I first spoke to Make no mistake, the guys Darren Clarke, it was might be over 50 but we all desperately want to win. back in 2012, a year after We’ve grown up playing golf to his euphoric victory at the the highest level possible so we W can make a career out of it, try- 140th Open Championship at ing to get into contention and Royal St George’s.We were sitting together in the lounge at the seemed to be aware of the need to keep win tournaments. Nothing has changed it fun also and that has to be something with our desire to win. very chic clubhouse of the Chateau De Bonmont, an upscale to strive for. It might be more relaxed and chilled golf club near the outskirts of Geneva in Switzerland. In golf, if you don’t work hard you’re during the week leading up to the tour- never going to achieve anything and at nament but come Friday morning it’s the end of the day that’s what we’re all game-face on and everyone wants to Beer in one hand, cigar in the other, When I got there, I was taken aback out here for, to be the best we can be win. That’s the wonderful side of our this was a 44-year-old, who had finally by how big the crowds were.I was stay- and win things. So while I’ve enjoyed sport gotten the Claret Jug after more than 20 ing downtown at the Westin which was myself a lot off the golf course I’ve put years and 54 attempts. great because, and most important- a lot of hard work in. however, has stated It was a new lease of life for a man ly, there are a lot of Irish pubs within he won’t be back next year. who has had great success on Europe- walking distance which obviously help Your reputation precedes you One of the great things about the Sen- an soil as well as winning two World me out no end! It’s that kind of atmo- though. ior Tours is that you get to tee it up Golf Championships but approaching sphere on the Champions Tour, it’s Most people seem to perceive me as a with some of the legends of the game the tail end of his professional career. very sociable compared to the main guy who just hangs out in the bar all the again. I got to play with Tom Watson One would imagine, after seven PGA Tour. time which, to be fair, I do quite a bit, at Lytham (at this year’s Senior Open) years, that life would have slowed down but I put a lot of practice in as well and and that was just such a pleasure. for Clarke. It could not be further from We heard you were asked to pull put a lot of time into playing because I He’s nearly 70-years-old now but the truth. This year, the now 51-year- pints for the crowd? love the game, especially when I’m hol- he’s just as determined as he was in old began life on the Champions Tour The Champions Tour is more relaxed, ing a few putts — not so much when I’m his day. It was brilliant to watch him and has attacked it with the vigour and you get asked to do stuff you probably not. for those two days and now it turns excitement normally expected of rook- wouldn’t on the PGA. That week in Cal- The game demands a lot of dedica- out that’s his last professional tourna- ies. In a way, he is one now. gary, I was asked to go to a pub and pull tion and practice but I’ve always tried ment so that was just such an honour On that Tour, cur- a load of pints. I can pull a mean pint of to draw a line and say, ‘this is my work for me to be a little part of that. rently leads the Charles Schwab Cup Guinness, don’t you worry about that, time and this is my fun time’. Maybe points table with earnings of US$2.52 I have a bit of experience in that area, down the years there have been peri- How do you rate your rookie million ($3.5m) from 24 events. Clarke shall we say. ods when I’ve had a little more fun time season on the Champions Tour? is at 90th place with winnings just shy The challenge really was having to than work time but that’s the way I’ve I’ve been hitting the ball great all season of US$60,000 from the six events he has pull the pints and not drink them! always been. but just not been putting well. Noth- been eligible for since joining the Tour. The only problem was that it was a ing changes as you get older though, Thursday night event called, ‘A Night Does it feel like eight years ago you still feel gutted that you’ve taken SWING: Are you enjoying life on Of Drinks with Darren Clarke’. On a that you won The Open? as many shots as you could; that you the Champions Tour? Thursday night! The tournament starts No, it doesn’t. It feels much more re- left putts out on the golf course. I don’t DC: I just turned 50 last August and on Friday, what were they thinking? cent than that. I remember that pretty think that feeling will ever change. my first event was in Calgary. All the well but, if I’m honest, the two weeks That’s professional golf for you, you guys were asking me before, ‘are you So is it all play and a bit of golf after I won the 2011 Open at Royal just keep going at it and waiting for the going next week?’. They were all ex- when necessary? St. George’s, well, talking about hav- day when everything clicks and you’ll cited about it, saying it’s such a great Golf takes a lot of discipline, prac- ing fun, those two weeks are a bit of a get what you think you deserve and ev- tournament. tice and hard work, but you’ve always blur. The Open is the biggest event in erything is wonderful again.

SUPERVISING EDITOR EDITOR CONTRIBUTING MARKETING AND SWING S. Murali Benny Teo EDITORS PARTNERSHIP ENQUIRIES [email protected] [email protected] Godfrey Robert Vivien Cham Business Director TEAM Spencer Robinson 9746 0379, [email protected] CREATIVE EDITOR WRITER Ven Sreenivasan Daphne Tay Business Director Jacqueline Wu Jeremy Theseira Rohit Brijnath 9620 1418, [email protected] [email protected] Rahul Pathak SUB-EDITOR Ida Karsia

2 | SWING BY SPHGOLF | 31 AUGUST-1 SEPTEMBER 2019 | THE BUSINESS TIMES WEEKEND