On the day he returned his trophy to the R&A, Clarke had said a rueful, “Now that I’ve handed it back, maybe I’ll start to play like I can play again.”
All year, he had been putting too much pressure on himself, with Pete Cowen, his loyal coach, explaining that he had tried to play each week like the Open champion “instead of being himself”. Clarke acknowledged as much. However, at the back of his mind, he was hoping against hope that once the gun went at Lytham, the support of his fans and the sweep of a linksland wind against his face would whip up the magic of 2011.
The fans were there in force but the player’s greatest ally – the wind – was mild in the extreme on the first couple of days and doing nothing to help the Ulsterman stand out from the rest. He was three-over after three on the Thursday and, though there was an outward half of 33 on the Friday to remind him that he could play a bit, he missed the cut at seven-over.
The reception he got on the home green could not have been more heartfelt. He smiled, but it was not the smile of a year ago. You could see him thinking of what might have been.
