A decade after his emotional victory at the 2011 Open Championship, Darren Clarke is returning to the scene of his finest hour, Royal St George’s, in the hope of rekindling some of the magic that lifted him to glory all those years ago
It’s been 10 years since your Open Championship win at Royal St George’s. Apart from the well documented post-victory celebrations, what is your abiding memory of that week, and do you remember what your expectations were coming into the championship?
There’s so much to take in at the time, from that moment when you know you’ve done enough, all the way through to seeing the special people in your life and then bringing the trophy back to my two sons, which was an emotional thing.
Going into the tournament I was hitting it great, but couldn’t hole a thing. In my practice rounds I was picking up rather than putting, it was so bad. But on Wednesday afternoon I hit a few putts with my lob wedge with my psychologist Bob Rotella and it kind of freed me up and I went from there. By the time the tournament started, I had that huge feeling of calmness that I’ve always felt when I’ve had my best moments in golf. I trusted my process, didn’t worry about the outcome, and ended up with the best outcome of all.
What kind of expectations do you have returning to St George’s this summer a decade older and wiser?
Talk to me on the Sunday night! It’s strange, it feels like longer than a decade, but also like it was yesterday. It’ll be my first time back at Royal St George’s and it will be great to see the place and feel those memories again, but as the week goes on it will be down to business.
There’s a common perception that you were something of a links specialist, but is that something of a misnomer given your wins on all types of courses? And, if not, what is it about links courses that particularly suits your style of play?
Growing up in Northern Ireland, you had to get used to a little bit of inclement weather! By nature that means that as soon as you start playing you have to be creative and find a way to play all sorts of different shots. Obviously, I had the biggest win of my career at Royal St George’s, and people will associate me with that, but I’m proud that my game travelled well too, and I have been lucky enough to win all over the world on all sorts of different courses.
Is there anything in professional golf that you would swap for a Claret Jug?
No. The Open Championship is the oldest, biggest and best tournament in the world. All of the American greats came over to play it. It’s so special. When I was growing up practising, it was always a putt to win The Open. It’s the big one. Golf has been good to me and I’m so proud to have my name on The Claret Jug.
You’ve obviously had an extremely successful career as a player and a Ryder Cup captain, but knowing what you know now, is there anything you’d have done differently in the way your career developed?
I just don’t think you can really look at life like that. Obviously, down the years there are lots of turns in the road, but I can look back at what I’ve done so far and be pretty content with it and the good thing about life now is that I’m playing regularly on the Champions Tour and still enjoying the challenge that brings.
The Champions Tour is a tough school these days, especially given the high calibre of players of your generation choosing to stay in the competitive game. How have you found the transition into senior golf, and how proud were you to get back in the winner’s circle again?
It really is and it took me a bit of time, but it’s great. I started playing that bit more on the European Tour in 2017 and 2018, and I came over and had a few starts over here later that year. The standard is seriously good and although parts of the tour are a little more relaxed, it’s still extremely competitive. The win at the Timber Tech Championship was very special, and I was proud to follow it up at the Mitsubishi Electric in Hawaii.
How much are you looking forward to playing in the Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale?
I am really looking forward to teeing it up at Sunningdale, as it’s a course I know well, having lived in that part of the world and played a lot of golf there over the years. I’m going to give it a really good go, as it’s a tournament that all senior golfers want to win.
Staying healthy and fit, and the powers of modern equipment, have obviously helped many older players stay competitive for longer, but what do ascribe your ability to play at the highest level for over three decades?
There are lots of reasons why I’ve been doing it for so long I suppose, but the reason I’m doing it now is that I love what I do. I still have that desire to go and work hard and try to improve every day. I still feel that drive to get better.
You’ve put your name to a new range of CBD products that are designed to help golfers deal with stress and enable them to concentrate better. How did that association come about and how has it helped your own wellbeing on and off the golf course?
Launching Darren Clarke CBD was a no-brainer. The most notable benefits of CBD are recovery, something that a lot of people can often struggle with. Muscle aches and joint pains between rounds will be significantly reduced, which, as a pro golfer playing three or four round tournaments, is a huge benefit. The partnership with Sana Lifestyle came about because of a desire from both sides to create a range of CBD products that would transform the golf CBD market. Sana Lifestyle is a very credible and well-regarded company within the wellness category, so working alongside them made perfect sense.
The Darren Clarke CBD oils come in a variety of flavours, do you have a favourite, and how involved were you in creating the range?
Precision Orange is seriously good. Some CBD oils, despite working well, taste pretty odd, so making a product that consumers would enjoy using was an absolute must. We want to make sure that our consumers are using a product that tastes great, rather than tasting somewhat medicinal. 
To start off we’re sticking with a fairly small range, in order to provide our customers with a no-nonsense, clear catalogue. Further down the line I’m sure we will branch out into other types of CBD based products, and I’m looking forward to conceptualising those.