What they said about ‘the Darce’
Tony Jacklin (former Open and US Open winner and Ryder Cup captain)
“The Darce was more than just a great player. He was a character. A real character. It’s a phrase that’s used too loosely these days, but they broke the mould after they made Eamonn. He was very special. He was one of the best pitchers of the ball I have ever seen. He had one of the those old, brown-shafted wedges and it was a sight to behold. It was beautiful.
“He had that figure of eight in there – a shorter version of his full swing – and it gave him time to get everything right. And he had wonderful feel. He didn’t have an artist’s hands. He had a farmer’s hands. But when it came to that little shot, he was fantastic.
“Like many of us, he came from the school of hard knocks. His swing? He was like Miller Barber, Gay Brewer, Ed Furgol and other old-timers from days gone by. They made it work. That’s the most important thing. It didn’t deter them and it didn’t deter Eamonn.
“When it came to the Ryder Cup, he was a great team man and a great addition to what we had going in ’87. My abiding memory is the five-footer he made on the last against Ben Crenshaw. That said it all. Everything was on the line. It was one of the quickest putts on the golf course, and it wasn’t one of those puts you could fluke in.”
Des Smyth (former Tour colleague)
“Eamonn came on very quickly and it was basically down to hard work. A bit like Pádraig Harrington today, you came out on tour, saw the work guys like Eamonn were doing, and you realised there is only one way to get to the top. These guys put in hours and hours hitting balls. Eamonn with his funny action, he speared his irons at the flag.
“That was his stock shot. Once he got it on the fairway, he was a very dangerous player, and in those days, he had an unbelievable short game. Technically, he was very good. The flying right elbow threw everybody out, but the club was always in a good place.
“There were a lot of great players in that mould – Miller Barber, Lee Trevino, Hubert Green. These guys won tournaments and major money. They were never a pushover, even for the greats like Nicklaus and Watson. Eamonn was like them. He came up through tough times when every penny was a capture. It’s the end of an era for sure. That Dunhill Cup win with Eamonn and Ronan Rafferty in 1988 meant a lot to him and to us. I have lovely memories.”
Paul McGinley (former Ryder Cup player and captain)
“People judged him on his swing, not his ball flight and what most stood out for all of us was that he had the best ball flight of us all – a strong, penetrating, driven flight with a baby fade on it. He was probably the best storyteller I have ever come across in golf. Once he got stuck into telling a joke or a story, he had a magnetism that drew everybody in. I can’t talk highly enough of him. He is one of my favourite people, not just in golf but in life.
“We were lucky – myself, Pádraig and Darren – that when we came on tour, we inherited a family in Des, Christy Junior and Darce. We spent a lot of time around them, had a lot of dinners together and that knowledge was passed down. There was lots of needle, but it was also fun with a lot of laughter and a lot of craic. There was deep caring about how other guys were doing. You were part of that Irish family on tour, and I felt the huge benefit of it.”
Philip Walton (former Ryder Cup player)
“The Darce was the best shotmaker I have ever played with, and his chipping was also second to none. If the Darce liked you, he would always give you sound advice on your game and do it quietly.”