Darren Clarke is the Open Championship winner for 2011

What a great display of golf and an outstanding display of being a gentleman. Many people will talk about how Darren Clark controlled his shots in the strong winds and read the undulated greens for 4 days of The Open Championship. What the Urban Legend saw was a man who was the epitome of being a gentleman before, during and after those rounds of golf. As I watched him walk the fairways for 4 days I began to think what an honor it was for me to see him navigate the on and off weather, the ups and downs of shots landing or missing the fairways and greens. The questions about his personal and golf life. The questions about how the young Rory McIllroy is replacing him as the topNorthern Ireland golfer. Sir Darren Clarke took all of these questions in stride and like a true gentleman keep a smile on his face and answered each question and challenge one moment at a time. Pure Perfection Sir Darren Clarke!!! Many viewers watch golf to see who the winner will be at the end but the Urban Legend watches golf through various lenses. The lens this week was focused on carrying oneself in a gentlemanly manor. And trust me no was more deserving of getting his name engraved on the Claret Jug than Sir Darren Clarke.

On another note - Northern Ireland male golfers sure seem to be taking over. Has anyone else noticed this???? Darren, Rory, Graeme, Padraig

Fraud of the week – Golf’s World Rankings and the media types who declare that any of these guys in the top 10 are worthy of this ranking. Let alone anyone being declared #1. The golf world ranking should stop posting rankings for about 4-6 months and just hold the data until they have enough information to make solid declarations. Let the European golfers shake out a bit, lets see if Rory and Kaymer can get some more wins. Lets see if Luke Donald and Lee Westwood can take charge. Lets see if Stricker and Phil and the other US golfers can seize the moment. Let the PGA playoffs and the Race to Dubai run its course for the end of 2011. Lets let Tiger get healthy and see if he can get back on form. Then only after all of this has taken place can we say if any one golfer is #1.

PRACTICE what are we talking about PRACTICE

The Pink Panther has finally won the major championship she has worked so hard to get. Over the years she has prepared and in many cases over prepared only to come up short. Then she injuries her thumb and she was sidelined from physical preparation for this major championship but she found something else. MENTAL preparation. Visualizing the shots and the end result of winning the LPGA US OPEN on one of golfs toughest courses – Oakmont. There were times watching her hit shots out of that thick rough when I thought she might injure that thumb but she survived and hit tons of great approach shots on Sunday. Congratulations to Paula Creamer and getting that monkey off her back.. it probably was a pink monkey…LOL

FRAUD of the Week – Is a tough one this week and I have to head to Loch Lohman to get this one. This guy looked great Thursday – Saturday not just playing but his clothing choices were classic. Then on Sunday everything came crashing down…Darren Clarke. He shot a 5 over in the final round and finished 2^nd and then I realized 2nd was enough for him to get into this weeks Open Championship. Then I realized the winner Edoardo Molinari needed the win to get in the Open Championship and that was the only way he was getting in. Now the question I have is – Did Clarke really shoot a 5 over or did he do the gentlemanly thing and open the door for a fellow Euro to make the field of the Open Championship? LOL