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Darren Clarke says he is an underdog ahead of The Open but insists it is not “beyond the realms of possibility” that he could win it. Clarke claimed his only major crown at The Open Championship in 2011 at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent.
This year’s edition of the tournament will take place in Clarke’s home country Northern Ireland and the 50-year-old says he is capable of pulling off an upset at Royal Portrush, although he is well aware he will need luck to be on his side.
He told the Mail on Sunday: “Is it beyond the realms of possibility that I could win here? No, it’s not. Is it a probability? Probably not. But if the weather was inclement, if it was blustery, could I have a really good week? Yes I could. How good that week is I don’t know but I know I could have a really good week.
“The bottom line is that in 10 days or so, I am going to tee it up on one of my favourite golf courses in the world in Portrush in The Open as a past champion. It doesn’t get much better than that. “The question is, are they going to put me off on the first tee shot at 6.30am? That means you’re not really supposed to do any good in the tournament. We’ll see.”
