Staff WriterIf you’re looking for inspiration, you needn’t wander much further than the G4D Tour FedEx Open de France, where Ireland’s Mark Clougherty stormed to a maiden title with the kind of back nine usually reserved for fairy tales and fever dreams.
The military veteran came home in a blistering 28, carding a second-round 65 at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche to win by 11 shots.
The win was not just a statement—it was a declaration. Having shared the overnight lead, Clougherty left the rest of the field choking on his exhaust fumes as he powered to three under for the week.
England’s Adam Dalton was the nearest man to him, but even he finished a distant second after a closing 75.
From Military Service to Golfing Glory
Clougherty’s story stretches far beyond birdies and eagles. After being medically discharged from the Royal Military Police in 2013, the Irishman has fought battles most of us couldn’t imagine.
He has lived with post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003, though it wasn’t formally diagnosed until 2009 following a double leg fracture suffered while playing semi-professional football for Moyola.
That injury brought with it Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in his right leg and foot—an invisible torment attacking his nervous system.
And just when life had given him more than enough, he later discovered he’d also been carrying a second case of PTSD since 2005, following treatment for testicular cancer.
In short, the man has endured enough for three lifetimes. Yet on a sunlit afternoon in France, he showed the golfing world that resilience doesn’t just whisper—it roars.
“That’s the monkey off my back,” he admitted afterwards. “With my PTSD I really suffer with anxiety and confidence and that today has just proved that I can play and I’m capable of playing at a high level if I just set my mind to it and make the game simple.”
A Back Nine for the Ages
For all the grit and hardship in his story, Clougherty’s golf was pure artistry. The front nine was a mixed bag—three birdies, a bogey, and a triple for a 37 that looked more patchwork quilt than Picasso. But then came the fireworks.
Birdies at 10, 11, and 13. An eagle at 14. A birdie at 15. And just when you thought the show was over, a birdie-birdie finish for good measure. It was an 11-shot improvement on his opening round and enough to not only secure the title but also book his place in the season-ending G4D Tour @ Rolex Grand Final.
“It’s just amazing, absolutely amazing,” Clougherty said, still catching his breath. “I didn’t have a clue, especially after yesterday. I thought it’s going to be tight because there’s a lot of good players and I just went out and had the round of my life.
“It was night and day [from round one]. I got my putting going, had two chip-ins. We went and worked on something yesterday afternoon on the range just to get my driver going, tweaked the shape, and we went out today and driver was just absolutely firing.”
The Chasing Pack
While Clougherty soared, the chasing pack could only admire from a safe distance. Dalton’s 75 was enough for solo second, three clear of Italian Davide Fasci, Slovenian Marjan Gavez, Norwegian Ellen Katherine Larsen, and Czech Filip Rataj, who all finished in a share of third.
But this week was never really about the leaderboard. The G4D Tour FedEx Open de France will be remembered for one man’s triumph over adversity, for a player who’s lived through darker days than most of us will ever know, and who finally found his sunlight on the back nine in Paris.
