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Darren Clarke, Golf’s Gentleman

by Dale Chavez on May 26th, 2006

There’s no doubt that Darren Clarke has been of the classier guys on the tour (though he primarily plays in Europe), but his decision this past weekend to not improve his lie after a weather delay during the Irish Open absolutely cemented his place in the sportsmanship hall of fame. On the 9th hole during Sunday’s round, Clarke pushed his drive into the rough, but before he could finish the hole, the horn sounded and he had to mark his ball and finish the round on Monday. When he returned to finish the hole, he discovered that the patrons had trampled down the rough where his marker was and now had a much better lie than he had the previous day. The 9th hole is a par-5 and this improved lie would have given him the opportunity to probably reach the green in two and possibly make birdie, and even win the tournament.

Feeling unsure about the improved lie, he asked for a ruling and the official ruled he could play the ball as it lay. Now, I have to believe 99% of most hackers (and I’m guessing most touring pros) would have taken the opportunity to play the ball with the improved lie and go for the green. Nothing wrong with that since that’s how the official ruled.

However, Clarke didn’t feel comfortable about the situation and proceeded to chip the ball back into the fairway, as he would have had to do if he would have finished the hole on Sunday. Clarke went on to say, “”When I went back out the area around the ball had been flattened. It was a much better lie than when I left it. “I could have put it on to the front of the green from where it was, but my conscience would not allow me to do it so I just decided the best thing to do was chip out like I would have done the previous night. “Honesty is part and parcel of the game and I could not have acted any other way.” Ironically, his chip out and subsequent bogey more then likely cost him the tournament, but Mr. Clarke wouldn’t have it any other way.

Yes, golf is a gentlemen’s game and this is what we expect out of professional tour players for sure, but there have been other incidents where touring professionals may have lacked better judgement. Case in point: two years ago at the Harbor Town Classic, Stewart Cink improved his lie in a waste bunker by removing loose impediment from behind his ball. This was within the rules, but it left a sour taste in some eyes as Cink clearly improved his lie to the point that the ball looked like it was sitting on a tee. Note that the waste area on this hole was filled with crushed seashells as the primary component, as opposed to sand and gravel. However, Cink made a clear indentation behind the ball with his finger allowing him to pick the ball cleanly and make birdie on the hole. In my opinion, Cink took advantage of the rules to create a situation that clearly allowed him to win the tournament.

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