In Terms of competitive achievement, Darren Clarke made an admirable attempt at emulating the illustrious Fred Daly by finishing joint runner-up in the British Open at Royal Troon last month. And he now shares one of Daly's proudest distinctions by being made an honorary life member of Royal Portrush.
As a paying member of the club, Clarke was keenly aware of the distinction that Daly had been accorded, particularly with all the talk about his predecessor during the run-up to Troon. Indeed it was also given to Max Faulkner, who captured the British Open at Royal Portrush in 1951.
In bestowing the honour on Clarke, the club emphasise that it is not a response simply to his performance at Troon. "Darren has been a very good ambassador for Royal Portrush," said the club manager, Wilma Erskine yesterday. "He plays a lot of his golf here and is about to be made a member of the European Ryder Cup team."
The council, which made the decision last week, also emphasised his "outstanding contribution to the game of golf", along with his "profound and continued commitment," to their famous club. The last recipient of the honour was England's Iain Pyman, who won the British Amateur there in 1993.
Interestingly, official notification of the club's decision coincided last weekend with other acknowledgements of Clarke's growing status within the game. He has received invitations to compete in two important American tournaments next season - the Western Open and the Sprint International.
In the finalised 1998 USPGA Tour schedule, these are fixed respectively for the weeks after the US Open and the USPGA Championship. "It means I am unlikely to take up the option of a US Tour card," said Clarke yesterday. "The way things are looking, I will get about six or seven invitations to the US next year which, added to the three majors, along with the Players' Championship, would suit my requirements ideally."
It now looks virtually certain that Clarke will stay on for the World Series at Firestone after competing in the USPGA at Winged Foot next week. "I understand that the top six in the Sony World Rankings are in the field and it's great to have the chance of playing against that sort of opposition," he said.
Irish positions in the Order of Merit: 2, Darren Clarke £405,854; 10, Padraig Harrington £215,349; 33, Paul McGinley £115,835; 50, Philip Walton £85,324; 71, Raymond Burns £60,112; 88, Ronan Rafferty £48,056; 94, Eamonn Darcy £45,831; 116, Des Smyth £35,733; 155, David Higgins £17,348; 157, Christy O'Connor Jnr £15,250.
