Philip Reidfinds a rejuvenated Darren Clarke smiling his way across a happy hunting ground

HE COULD be found on the putting green behind the clubhouse, a haven where only die-hard fans bother to venture. Darren Clarke was back at work, diligently putting ball after ball towards a tin cup with a line akin to an angler’s rod as a guide to get from point A to point B.

Sometimes they dropped, sometimes they didn’t. But, all the while, Clarke wore a grin. And, why not?

This championship means the most to the Ulsterman, and the late run of form which enabled him to gatecrash the party – he secured the second-last spot, only American Paul Goydos, runner-up in the US Tour to Steve Stricker on Sunday got a later ticket – has put an extra pep into his step.

This is terrain Clarke knows well and, importantly, likes, as evidenced by his tied-seventh finish in 2000 and tied-15th in 2005.

“I love the golf course, it’s proper golf. It’s (the type of golf) I grew up playing, it’s what we played all our championships at home on. You’ve got to hit chip-and-run five-irons from 130 yards. Links is proper golf.”

Clarke’s renaissance has come quickly, if after long months of hard work and periods of deep frustration. The reason for the change in fortune?

“I’m just knocking in some putts. I’m not hitting the ball any differently than I have been, just holing putts. If you see the ball going into the hole, you think a little better and you feel a little bit better. I’m just holing some putts and that’s been the only thing missing. I’ve just got to carry on (playing well).”

Can he win? “There’s no reason why not. I have just got to play, the same as I did last week. I had two good tournaments in one week last week (winning the JP McManus and finishing runner-up in the Scottish Open). On links courses, you need the odd good bounce and the odd good break, more so than anything else.”

And, still smiling, which more often than not seems to be his way these days, Clarke revealed his biggest problem on booking a place in the Open field was to get his laundry done. “I only packed enough clothes for one week,” he explained, although the washing machines were spinning across the way at the Old Course Hotel to ensure he would be spick and span for his latest appearance in the major.

Clarke also got a favourable draw, being grouped with Davis Love and Mike Weir for his opening two rounds.