Darren Clarke held his nerve to clinch victory at the British Open yesterday, becoming the oldest winner of the championship in 44 years as he ended his long wait for a Major.

The popular 42-year-old from Northern Ireland kept his cool in demanding conditions to card a level-par 70, leaving him five under for the tournament and three strokes clear of Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.

“I was just trying not to make any stupid mistakes and be really careful and it turned out to be enough to win,” Clarke said.

“I've been confident in my own ability this week. It's for the kids – they'll be very proud. I think the celebrations could be long. And, I'll be very, very hungover.”

The win capped a final round of twists and turns at Royal St George's, where wild fluctuations in the weather were mirrored early on by a fast-moving battle at the top of the leaderboard before Clarke's rivals fell away.

It also represented a triumph of persistence for the paunchy Clarke, who finally claimed the famous Auld Claret jug at the 20th time of asking, a new record.

Clarke, whose ranking has slipped to 111 in recent years, becomes the oldest winner of the Open since Argentina's Roberto de Vicenzo won aged 44 in 1967.

Many observers had assumed that Clarke's days of challenging for Majors were over, with the veteran Ulsterman seemingly destined to forever rue his near-miss at the 1997 Open at Troon, where he tied for second.

Clarke insisted he had never doubted his ability to eventually lift a Major.

“I always believed I would get myself back up here, and I always believed I could get back up here and win one,” Clarke said.

Clarke's victory was the third by a golfer from Northern Ireland in a Major tournament in just over a year, following Rory McIlroy's triumph at the US Open last month, an event won by Graeme McDowell 12 months earlier.