Clarke’s manager, the irrepressible Chubby Chandler, seems to have found the golden touch in terms of his golfers in the Majors. Louis Oosthuizen (2010 Open), Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters), Rory McIlroy (2011 US Open) and Clarke are all signed up to Chandler’s ISM agency. Now he just needs Lee Westwood to win the PGA Championship next month to complete what is being labelled the ‘Chubby Slam’. What unprecedented success that would be for an agency that is dwarfed by IMG.
However, without wanting to be churlish, it is a shame that two of the UK’s finest players – Westwood and Clarke – who are two of the most photographed men in golf at the moment – are parading around with ‘Dunlop’ on their chests. In golf, Dunlop represents the bottom of the golf apparel barrel, being the house golf brand for the Sports Direct discount retail chain.
No matter what agreement Chandler has negotiated with Sports Direct – owned by Mike Ashley – it is not a brand that should be associated with our major winners, past, present or future. Heck, even 20-year-old amateur Tom Lewis was wearing Hugo Boss at the Open.
Robin Barwick
Editor
