Clarke eyes Irish Open title
by Mark May, 15 May 2008
Ireland’s Darren Clarke believes he has finally put his poor form behind him and now feels he is good enough to win “any tournament” he enters.
The big Dungannon man struggled for form after the death of his wife Heather two years ago but now the 39-year-old appears to have risen from the trough he found himself in.
Clarke even bagged his first Tour victory in four-and-a-half years at the Asian Open in Shanghai two weeks ago.
And now, ahead of the Irish Open in Adare Manor, he believes he is back in a place where he can not only challenge for titles but even nab a spot on Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup team.
“It was great to get back into the winners circle and it meant an awful lot to me – and I want to carry on from there,” Clarke told reporters at Adare Manor on Wednesday, ahead of his opening round on Thursday.
“The last couple of years have been a very difficult period in my life and to get back to my job and back to winning was something I desperately wanted.
“It’s been a long time and quite difficult, but hopefully I won’t make it so tough next time," he added.
“My head was getting in the way and I couldn’t quite focus. My concentration wasn’t as good as it should have been.
“The win has definitely left me in good shape for the rest of the year. I never doubted I could win again; if I did, I would never have spent the time I did working on things. I wouldn’t have been in the gym and I would have been hitting balls.
“I knew I was playing okay, even when I was missing cuts. I must have sounded like a broken record, but I knew I was playing okay.
“I just persevered and kept going, and towards the end of last year, when I finished joint third in the South African Open, that was a big step in the right direction for me.
“My game is very close now to being good enough to winning any tournament. I’m still working on things and still trying to make it better and better, but I’m very close to playing the way I want to play.
“I want to get myself on the Ryder Cup team – that’s my goal for the year.”