Ckarke proves to be a popular champion

Darren Clarke's victory at the Open Championship at Royal St George's was one of the most popular triumphs in recent years - not only among the cheering galleries, but also his closest rivals.
The 42-year-old Northern Irishman is the third of his countrymen to remarkably claim a Major in little over a year and, after more than 20 years of trying, he is one of the oldest first-time winners of golf's big four championships.
Yes, he rode his luck on occasion during his final round, but no-one would begrudge Clarke the rub of the green among Sandwich's bumps and hollows. This is because it was not only Mother Nature's earthly contours in this corner of Kent that Clarke mastered - he also took on the demeanour of a rock; immovable, despite being battered by the gusty winds and heavy squalls that blew others away during a weekend of testing conditions.
After enduring some dark times in recent years, Clarke seems to be 'in a good place' right now, and I had the impression that while he was walking up to the 18th green for a final time and later sharing the trophy with the galleries in a prolonged lap of honour, he wanted to savour every moment of this sweetest of victories.
He said the party would be a long one, and it duly was. Hopefully there will be no long-term hangover and Clarke can now focus on trying to add to his Major tally.     

The greatest Championship is raring to go

So here we go. It's the eve of the Open Championship and all eyes are unsurprisingly on Rory McIlroy. Apart from one poor round in Augusta, the young Northern Irishman could be preparing to tee off at Royal St George's with the year's first two Majors already in the bag. Not too much pressure to perform then!
Yet, let's not forget McIlroy's rivals for the title. The last time a pair of British hands lifted the Claret Jug was back in the 20th Century - Paul Lawrie in 1999 - so it's about time one of the homegrown players who have been knocking on the door in recent years decided to join the party.
Don't dismiss an outsider either. America's Ben Curtis was the surprise winner at Sandwich in 2003 when he pounced on Thomas Bjorn's misfortune during the run-in on the final afternoon. And this leads to a factor that shouldn't be ignored; Royal St George's has teeth and it is going to take four days of hard graft to walk away from the Garden of England with all the riches on offer.