It was Darren Clarke’s 47th birthday but after easily missing the PGA Championship halfway cut he joked he was going to go out and ‘get hammered’.
In fact, rival USA Ryder Cup captain, Davis Love 111 who played in the same group as Clarke, suggested he might join Clarke after the 2016 rival Oakland Hills captain’s headed to the Whistling Straits exit gates.
Clarke added an 81 to his opening 78 to trail well down near the cellar in the season’s final major in a second round that included two birdies but also four bogeys but also two doubles and a 17th hole triple bogey but then to his enormous credit he climbed up to the clubhouse with a broad smile on his face.
“It’s my birthday today so after that effort I might go out tonight and get hammered,” he said smiling.
Darren Clarke joked he will celebrate his 47th birthday getting ‘hammered’.
“But then I just played crap and really poorly which is very frustrating as I felt I played beautifully because I hit it lovely on the practice rang, and holed some good putts on the practice putting green but just couldn’t quite get it done in the tournament proper and with a card in my hand.
“So that is particularly frustrating.
“And this course is very much a golf course that will highlight any short-comings in your game, and if you miss it anywhere around here you are going to pay a penalty.”
Before Clarke headed to join his wife and two teenage sons he recalled back to 2004, and when the PGA Championship was first staged along the Lake Michigan shoreline, when he led the field with a first round 65 on route to sharing 13th place behind Vijay Singh.
“I was leading the tournament after that 65 but then looking back, I don’t know how I ever managed that score,” he said.
Clarke is planning to head home for a few days before teeing up in next week’s European Tour Made in Denmark event.
He and Love 111 will meet up next later next month in Detroit for the ‘One year to go’ Ryder Cup celebration.
Love 111, and winner of the 1997 PGA, again enjoyed Clarke’s company but was unaware it was his European Team captain’s birthday until well after the round.
“Darren never mentioned it was his birthday but then I may go with him tonight and also get hammered,” he said also smiling after rounds of 79 and 73 for an eight-over par total.
“I always enjoy playing alongside Darren but then while it was good, we obviously didn’t have that much fun out there as we both struggled.
“But then it will be great to again catch-up with Darren later this year at Oakland Hills and that’s when I guess the Ryder Cup will start to get busy for he and I”
However when Love 111 was asked what he thought about the European Team qualifying points process commencing in Russia, the American was totally unaware of that.
