Clarke Set To Take A Break
- Friday, 21 July 2006
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Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke could possibly miss September's Ryder Cup after he announced to the media that he would be taking an extended break from the sport following this week's Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Clarke has been distracted over the last few months by the plight of his sick wife Heather, who is battling cancer.
"I think this will be my last week playing for quite some time," he said after Thursday's first round.
"I've got to go home and try and support Heather and help her with her battle. It's a real tough thing we are having to deal with. Heather's struggling a lot at the moment but she is a fighter and is battling on."
Clarke is currently lying outside the European top 10 in the Ryder Cup standings, and it is debatable whether or not Europe skipper Ian Woosnam would pick him as a wildcard selection after an extended break from the game.
Clarke recovered from being one-over-par at the turn to make four birdies on the back nine yesterday, leaving him just three shots behind overnight leader Graeme McDowell. He is hoping that advice from Irish Olympic team doctor Conor O'Brien can help preserve his stamina going into the weekend.
"I hung in there today. I hit a couple of bad shots on the front nine but improved coming home," he reflected.
"I am getting into good positions but have been making mistakes coming down the stretch on Sunday. I got a phone call last night from Conor O'Brien and he said that he'd been watching me at Loch Lomond and thought I looked very dehydrated. He told me to load up on isotonic drinks as much as I can. I did that today and it helped me to concentrate on the back nine - hopefully I can keep on doing it."
