On this day in 2011: Darren Clarke wins The Open

Sport360 staff 10:42 17/07/2016
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  • Darren Clarke.

    The Northern Irishman certainly had happy memories on this day five years ago.

    Playing in his 20th Open Championship at Royal St George’s, Clarke, who had a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson going in the last day, kept his nerve to clinch his maiden major title to win by three shots. But he showed no signs of slowing down and fired a final-round 70 to finish five under to hold off Americans Phil Mickelson (68) and Johnson (72).

    The victory saw him not only become the oldest Open champion since 1967, but also the first winner from the UK since Paul Lawrie in 1999, and only the second Northern Irishman to hoist the trophy after Fred Daly in 1947.

    Here’s what else what happened on this day:

    1979: Seb Coe sets new world mile record in 3 mins and 48.95 secs.

    2000: Paul Gascoigne agrees terms for a free transfer move from Middlesbrough to Everton.

    2009: World number one Tiger Woods misses the cut at the Open Championship at Turnberry.

    2015: Fabian Delph joins Man City less than a week after publicly committing his future to Aston Villa.

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