Paul McGinley has fiercely defended Darren Clarke against the long-held perception that the Northern Irishman coasted on natural talent without putting in the hard work. Speaking ahead of the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush, McGinley dismissed the idea as 'one of the biggest jokes in golf.'
In an interview with Indo Sport, McGinley said: 'That’s one of the biggest jokes in golf, the way Darren is positioned as this happy-go-lucky Irishman, always in good form, drinking and partying his head off, incredibly gifted and that’s the success that he had.' He insisted that Clarke worked as hard as Padraig Harrington, adding: 'Having lived next door to him for 20 years in England, having seen the effort he put into practice… On top of the God-given talent that he had, he also worked at it and probably, in some ways, it hurt him more than it helped him because he was so obsessed with the game.'
McGinley recalled Clarke's early promise, noting: 'From the age of 16, Darren was a step ahead of everybody else. He had bleach blonde hair, he came with an arrogance and a look of confidence about him… He hit the ball just phenomenally.'
The pair had a falling out after Clarke withdrew his support for McGinley's Ryder Cup captaincy bid in 2012, but they reconciled in 2016. Clarke later said: 'We have buried the hatchet and we are moving forward. He offered me all sorts of advice. He couldn’t have been better.'
