Open champion Darren Clarke picked up on the area of $4.6 million for winning the game’s oldest major and collecting on a bonus from clothier Dunlop for taking the Claret Jug. That nice chunk of change helped the finances of the 42-year-old Ulsterman, according to agent Andrew Chandler.
Speaking with the Daily Mail in the U.K., Chandler said Clarke had lost significant money due to investments gone bad, including real estate around the world and a joint investment in a jet with Lee Westwood whose value precipitously dropped in the years since purchase.
From the report, Chandler said, “The timing could not have been better. Darren has had a big cash flow problem.”
Clarke had made some $30 million in tournament earnings over the course of his career, but has faced difficulty in clearing out his real estate portfolio to open up more cash. The rash of opportunities sure to flood Chandler’s desk for his oldest client could allow Clarke to keep those properties as long-term investments.
