Darren Christopher Clarke (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who plays on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. He was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone. He played college golf at Wake Forest University in the United States.

Clarke has been featured in the top 10 in the Official World Golf Rankings. The most prestigious titles he has won are the 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship when he defeated Tiger Woods in the final, and the 2003 WGC-NEC Invitational. His highest finish on the European Tour money list is second, which he achieved in 1998, 2000 and 2003. He has represented Ireland in the World Cup and Alfred Dunhill Cup and played for Europe on five consecutive Ryder Cup teams 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Clarke is represented by International Sports Management.

Private life
Clarke met his wife Heather in a nightclub in Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The couple had two sons, Tyrone (born 1998) and Conor (born 2001), and the family lived at Sunningdale, Berkshire. In 2005 and 2006 he missed several tournaments to care for his wife, who was diagnosed with both primary and, later, secondary breast cancer.

Heather Clarke died at 2.15am on Sunday August 13, 2006 at 39 years of age, in the Royal Marsden Hospital, London (the day before her husband’s 38th birthday).

Clarke’s friend, Paul McGinley immediately announced his own withdrawal from the PGA Championship starting in Medinah, Illinois on Thursday. In a statement McGinley said, “Our two families are very much intertwined, obviously me and Darren, but Heather and (McGinley’s wife) Ali were the best of friends and our kids are in the same class at school. So it is a tough time for us all” Clarke later made himself available for selection for the 2006 Ryder Cup. European captain Ian Woosnam chose him as one of his two wild cards and he contributed 3 points from 3 matches to Europe’s victory.

Clarke is a keen cigar smoker, on and off the golf course, and has been reported to spend an estimated £25,000 per year on cigars.

Darren was the favourite to win the 2006 Sports Personality Of The year award, but was runner-up to Zara Philips. Darren had previously stated he didn’t want to win based on a sympathy vote concerning his wife’s death.

European Tour wins (10)
1993 (1) Alfred Dunhill Open
1996 (1) Linde German Masters
1998 (2) Benson & Hedges International Open, Volvo Masters
1999 (1) Compass Group English Open
2000 (2) WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, Compass Group English Open
2001 (1) Smurfit European Open
2002 (1) Compass Group English Open
2003 (1) WGC-NEC Invitational

PGA Tour wins (2)
2000 (1) WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship
2003 (1) WGC-NEC Invitational

Japan Golf Tour wins (4)
2001 Dimension Data Pro-Am, The Crowns
2004 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters
2005 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters

Challenge Tour wins (1)
2003 Benmore Developments Northern Ireland Masters

Other wins (2)
1992 Ulster Professional Championship
1994 Irish National PGA Championship

Professional team appearances
Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1997 (winners), 1999 (losers), 2002 (winners), 2004 (winners), 2006 (winners)
Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Ireland): 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
World Cup (representing Ireland): 1994, 1995, 1996
The Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2000, 2002 (winners)
Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2007 (winners)

Amateur wins
1990 Spanish Amateur Open Championship, Irish Amateur Championship