7-day Archive: 
The Malaysian Insider

Sports

Clarke splits up with Open-winning caddie

January 30, 2012

Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland hugs his caddie John Mulrooney on the 18th green after winning the British Open golf championship at Royal St George’s in Sandwich, southern England in this file photo of July 17, 2011. – Reuters pic
LONDON, Jan 30 – Darren Clarke has parted company with the caddie that helped him win his first major championship in the British Open at Sandwich in July.

ISM, the player’s management team, said today that Clarke’s split with John Mulrooney was amicable and had come after he missed the cut at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday.

The 43-year-old Northern Irishman will keep his options open on a replacement bagman as he practises over the next three weeks ahead of his return to competitive golf at the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona on Feb. 22, said ISM.

Mulrooney took over as Clarke’s full-time caddie after the former Ryder Cup player won the Iberdrola Open in Majorca in May.

Clarke has been out of sorts since his victory at Sandwich, his best result a 20th-place finish at the Volvo Golf Champions tournament in South Africa two weeks ago.

He slumped to rounds of 72 and 81 at the European Tour event in Abu Dhabi. – Reuters