91�ȱ�

When you have just scooped £900,000 for winning the Open you can afford to be generous.

Darren Clarke finally got his hand on the famous Claret Jug on Sunday at his 20th attempt.

But when it came to sharing his winnings, the golfer's first thought was to call one of his regular haunts in Northern Ireland.

The 42-year-old has been known to savour a pint or two in the surroundings of the Bayview Hotel in Portballintrae on the County Antrim coast.

Its owner Trevor Kane confirmed that Clarke rang to pay for a round of drinks for those fans who watched his triumph on television, shortly after collecting the Open trophy.

"We had a big contingent of Darren's fans in the hotel on Sunday," he said.

"His sister Andrea and his brother-in-law also came round later with Darren's two boys and their cousins.

"Darren put a call through to Andrea to set up a round of drinks for everyone at the bar, it was quite a celebration.

"Some people got squirted with champagne."

Trevor said that Clarke's Open victory had been "emotional" for everyone assembled at the hotel.

He said he felt that the player's recent decision to return to Northern Ireland had been instrumental in his success.

"Darren would come into the bar and have a pint or two - he would give me a bit of banter," he added.

"He has brought the boys home and they are settled now.

"He had to dig deep at the weekend and to win the Open is brilliant."

Sunday was not the first time this year Clarke has celebrated a title win by buying a round.

In May, the Ryder Cup star bought an entire plane full of passengers a drink to mark his Iberdrola Open success in Majorca.