Faldo era remains distant memory

While Northern Ireland celebrates a third major champion in 13 months, English golf is left to survey the wreckage.

Not necessarily to the damage at soggy Sandwich after four days of epic golf and two days of biblical weather.

But of the state of its game, its players.

Ulster has major champions spanning three decades; Rory McIlroy, a red-hot 22-year-old set to dominate golf; Graeme McDowell, the 31-year-old who had the year of his life in 2010, and the roaring 40-something Darren Clarke who rolled back the years on the South East coast.

Clarke could barely string a sentence together yesterday morning after celebrating his Open triumph through the night. But after stringing together four days of major championship winning-golf, he did not care.

England’s wait for a major champion, however, now stands at 15 years. Sir Nick Faldo is a giant of the game with six of the big titles, but nobody from England has reached even the foothills of his inspirational career.

And the question is: where are the emerging young players? Where are our young stars to take us into a new era?

Tom Lewis? It is still early days for the 20-year-old from Welwyn Garden City who stormed to the top of the Royal St George’s leaderboard last Thursday evening.

We should resist placing too much emphasis on Lewis to be our standard bearer.

Remember Chris Wood winning the silver medal three years ago at Birkdale? He has yet to set the world alight in the professional arena.

Justin Rose nearly won the Open as an English amateur 10 years before that but other than a bid for the Masters green jacket in 2007 that floundered on the 71st hole, he has rarely threatened.

During his post-round press conference following his opening 65, Lewis said the reason he adapted so well to links golf was because English, and British amateurs, play all but one top tournament on links courses.

Yet in the final reckoning on Sunday evening, only two Britons, Clarke and Yorkshireman Simon Dyson, were in the top 12 compared to seven Americans, who play about five per cent of their golf on links courses, if that. If our players are honing their talents on seaside links, why do they not prosper at our home major?

England may have the No 1 and the No 2 in the world in Luke Donald and Lee Westwood – no mean feat by any stretch – but it is for major titles that people are remembered.

Donald, Westwood, Rose, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Ross Fisher have all had chances to seize one of the game’s defining prizes, but each failed to reach out and grab it with both hands.

All are in their 30s. There are plenty of chances left for them to win a major, starting next month at the US PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club. But the opportunity to grasp the major mantle and win a host of them may well have passed them by.

English golf may need to look at those in the 20- to 30-year-old age bracket. Wood, Lewis, David Horsey and Yorkshiremen Danny Willett and John Parry are in their early 20s and full of promise. But aside from the odd win on the European Tour, they are yet to stake any real claim. Amateur golf in England is very strong; the concern is the transition to major winners is not occurring.

While English golf searches for answers, the champion golfer of the year was still celebrating.

Clarke, who will hold a press conference in Portrush today, said yesterday: “I’ve looked at the trophy all night and sort of semi figured out it’s mine.

“I probably won’t get any sleep until tomorrow at some stage. Have to enjoy it when you can.

“I had quite a few pints and quite a few glasses of red wine and it all continued until about 30 minutes ago. It’s been a very good night.”

Despite warning the R&A in his victory speech that he would drink Guinness from the Claret Jug, he said: “I’m a little bit of a traditionalist. I feel a bit funny about putting stuff in the Claret Jug that shouldn’t be in there. There’s nothing in it as yet. That may not be the case as the week goes by.

“I have 294 (text) messages and the writing is far too small for me to look at them in this state, so I may look at them tomorrow at some stage and figure them out.”

Before the celebrations got into full flow he phoned his sons Tyrone (12) and Conor (10) in Portrush, where he moved back to recently.

They, of course, lost their mother Heather to breast cancer in 2006 – just weeks before the Ryder Cup in which he played and was unbeaten – and Clarke dedicated his first major title to them.

“Tyrone was very pleased, very proud – he said he was going to tell everybody his dad was Open champion. Conor wanted to know what he could spend all the money on. They were both very happy.”

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