Thursday 7 July 2016 20:42, UK
In our first anniversary in the countdown to The 145th Open, we reflect on Darren Clarke's emotional victory at Royal St George's in 2011 as he lifted the Claret Jug to win his only major championship.
It was Clarke's 20th appearance at the Open and, at 42 years old, many had written him off as a player who would never have his name etched upon golf's most prestigious trophy.
However, his spirit in adversity had never been in question. Clarke lost his wife Heather in August 2006 to a battle with breast cancer, but was able to focus and deliver three crucial points for the European team at the Ryder Cup at the K Club the following month.
Yet going into the 2011 Open, it looked unlikely that Clarke would ever come closer to a major win than his second-place finish in the 1997 edition of the tournament at Royal Troon.
The weather was a big factor during the 2011 Open at Sandwich, but Clarke dug deep to grind out a pair of two-under 68s on the opening two days. A fortunate second-round draw meant Clarke had the fairer side of the weather, and the lack of breeze helped him to become joint leader with Lucas Glover.
In 35mph winds and periods of heavy rain on the third day, the Northern Irishman rose to the occasion to shoot a one-under-par 69 and gain a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson heading into the final day of the tournament.
The fourth round conditions were much calmer, and Clarke's nerves eased when he holed a 20-foot putt for par on the first. He followed it with a birdie to double his lead, and when Johnson bogeyed the third, Clarke found himself with a three-shot advantage over the field.
Phil Mickelson was still searching for his maiden Open at the time, and the 41-year-old American was doing all he could to challenge Clarke. With an eagle on the seventh, Mickelson took a share of the lead before Clarke responded in stunning fashion, holing a 30-foot-putt on the same green to match Mickelson's eagle and regain a two-shot lead.
Mickelson crumbled on the back nine, and four bogeys in six holes left him out of contention and tied for second with Johnson, who trailed Clarke by just two shots until he blocked his second to the long 14th and carved it out of bounds.
Clarke lifted his hat to the crowd as he walked down the final hole four shots clear, knowing he was about to become the champion golfer for the year. He tapped in to complete a battling 70 which made him the oldest major winner since Roberto De Vicenzo in 1967 - a win which he dedicated to his late wife and two children.
"In terms of what's going through my heart, there's obviously somebody who is watching from up above there, and I know she'd be very proud of me," he said afterwards.
"But I think she'd be more proud of my two boys and them at home watching more than anything else. It's been a long journey to get here."
