Introduction
Eamonn Christopher Darcy (born 7 August 1952) is one of the most successful golfers produced by Ireland.
Darcy was born in Delgany, County Wicklow. He turned professional in 1968 and played on the European Tour from 1972, winning four European Tour tournaments. His best years were 1975, when he came third on the Order of Merit, and 1976, when he improved to second. While he did not fully live up to this early promise, and did not compete on a level with the "Big 5" of European golf who emerged around this time (Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam) he went on to enjoy a long career. He finished in the top 20 on the Order of Merit nine times in total and made the top 100 as late as 1999, when he was 47. In 2002 he joined the European Seniors Tour. He was a member of the GB & Ireland/European Ryder Cup team on four occasions, including the victorious team of 1987.
He was noted for having one of golf's strangest swings.
Professional wins (15)
European Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Jun 1977 | Greater Manchester Open | –11 (69-67-66-67=269) | 8 strokes |  Brian Barnes, Ken Brown, John Morgan |
| 2 | 23 Oct 1983 | Benson & Hedges Spanish Open | –11 (67-71-67-72=277) | 1 stroke |  Manuel Piñero |
| 3 | 12 Jun 1987 | Volvo Belgian Open | –13 (69-67-64=200) | 1 stroke | Nick Faldo,  Ronan Rafferty, Ian Woosnam |
| 4 | 25 Feb 1990 | Emirates Airlines Desert Classic | –12 (64-68-75-69=276) | 4 strokes | David Feherty |
Other wins (11)
- 1976 Cacharel Under-25 Championship, Sumrie-Bournemouth Better-Ball (with Christy O'Connor Jnr)
- 1978 Sumrie-Bournemouth Better-Ball (with Christy O'Connor Jnr)
- 1980 Air New Zealand Open
- 1981 Westlakes Classic (Australia), Cock of the North (Zambia)
- 1982 Benson & Hedges Kenya Open, Irish Professional Championship
- 1984 Mufulira Open (Zambia)
- 1988 Irish National PGA Championship
- 1992 Irish National PGA Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T68 | T15 | T34 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T45 | T14 | T35 | T26 | CUT | T11 | T59 | T17 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T22 | T5 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T32 |
Note: The Open Championship was the only major Darcy played.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
- Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland/Europe): 1975, 1977, 1981, 1987 (winners)
- Double Diamond International (representing Ireland): 1975, 1976, 1977
- Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1976 (winners), (representing Ireland) 1984 (captain)
- Philip Morris International (representing Ireland): 1976
- World Cup (representing Ireland): 1976, 1977, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Ireland): 1987, 1988 (winners), 1991