KITCHENAID SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2022

Darren Clarke

Press Conference

Harbor Shores

JOHN DEVER: Good afternoon, welcome back to the 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores. We are joined by Darren Clarke who just put forth a 3-under par 68 today. Pretty good start. Gets you in a good position going in after 18 holes, you have to like that. Take us through how you felt and how you're feeling out there here at Harbor Shores.

DARREN CLARKE: Yeah, I obviously got off to a very good start. Made a mistake on No. 8 going around the corner, I'm 3-under -- 3-under through six, and then cut -- made a poor swing and hit the ball in the rubbish and made a double which set me back a little bit. Rather they gave me another couple birdies quickly, and lost my speed on the back nine. Didn't make anything at all from, oh, I don't know, anything at all, really, on the back nine.

So I played really nicely. So enjoyed the golf course. Really enjoyed the golf course. There's a score there today because of the rain and softening up and you know, if you're on with your distances, with your irons around here, you have an opportunity because with the flags being in the position where they are, if you can get them in those little bowls, you're going to have lots of good looks for birdies. I was able to do that today but not convert as much as I wanted.

Q. You played nicely on the weekend at Tradition. Seems likes there's an uptick in your game. What are you finding that you've been looking to see?

DARREN CLARKE: All year, I've been injured. Every week there's been something wrong with me all year. It's been my leg, my back, I've had to withdraw from a couple tournaments, tendonitis this week. It's been one of those years, it's been weird for me because I've gone through my whole career never being injured. I've never been an injured guy.

This year for whatever reason, maybe it's a little bit too much alcohol or getting a little bit too old or whatever, I don't know, but I've just been injured every week. I've started feeling a little bit better but my arm is still sore and what have you. Those situations, you just have to keep playing and do as well as you can.

It's been frustrating. I haven't even managed a Top-10 this season which has been frustrating for me. Keep finishing, whatever, 14th, 15th, around there, which I'm not out here to try can do that. I'm looking to try and play a little bit better than that.

I've been hitting the ball well and not scoring as well as well but hopefully starting to turn around a little bit, and like you said, a nice weekend at Tradition and hopefully I can carry on this week and get a couple good rounds and start rolling the ball better.

I've had ice packs -- I walked into the physio truck, for or our five guys are in there all the time. Physio trucks are a bit beyond my -- I don't go in there. Today when I walked in, "What are you doing in there? You can't smoke in here." It was one of those.

But the guys were treating and they have helped. I'm just putting ice and taking all sorts of tablets. It is what it is. Happens when you get older I guess.

Q. I noticed the black ribbon.

DARREN CLARKE: That's why we stopped at 12:36 today. It was for what happened a couple of days ago. And we rightly stopped. It was a wonderful -- and the right thing to do.