US OpenPhysically, his body is here, in New York. Mentally, his thoughts are there, in London. On Sunday, Darren Clarke jumped into Ernie Els' private jet and zoomed across five time zones to resume his day job.

Playing golf is his livelihood, but until his wife, Heather, was allowed home from hospital last week, the Ulsterman was unsure whether he'd be able to play in the US Open at Winged Foot.

In a way, playing offers a sanctuary for Clarke, who missed last year's championship at Pinehurst because of his wife's illness. He hasn't played since he missed the cut in the BMW Championship at Wentworth last month, and he doesn't know when he will play next.

"I don't know how I am going to do (here), or how I am going to play. We'll see," he said. "I've spent a couple of weeks in and out of hospitals, so I have no idea what is going to happen. All I know is that I am playing here at the minute. I'm here, and I'll be trying as much as I can.

"But my expectations are pretty low at the minute. I wanted to try and play and I've an opportunity to play.

"We're obviously in a very tough situation at home. I spend a lot of time at home, but if I do get the opportunity to play, you know, I have got to try to do something."

Clarke is one of four Irish players in the field, along with Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell. He is also the highest ranked of the quartet in the world, in 18th position. Somehow, despite the worries and concerns about his wife, he has managed to compete, and even contend, whenever he has played: he finished tied-11th in the British Masters, and was third in the Irish Open at Carton House, and had a real chance of winning there.

It was that missed opportunity in Co Kildare last month, where he led when play was suspended on Sunday and returned on Monday morning only to finish behind eventual champion Thomas Bjorn, and Paul Casey.

"Ireland disappointed me a lot. I should have won at home. I really should have won there. I've had some good rounds and some poor rounds. But my mind is not really at the races. I'm just making silly mistakes that I don't usually make. I had a great chance to win and probably should have won."

In the past, Clarke - who hasn't won on either the US or European tour since his WGC-NEC Invitational success in Akron in 2003 - would have got down on himself over his lack of wins. The perspective of his wife's illness means he doesn't do that now.

"I'd chances to win, (but) to finish off, you need to be focused on what you're doing . . . my mind's not really there."

Yesterday, though, Clarke hooked up with his caddie, Billy Foster, and spent much of the afternoon working on his putting with short-game coach Stan Uttley. The US Open hasn't been particularly kind to him, his best result being tied-10th at Pinehurst in 1999.

In his only competitive tournament here at Winged Foot, in the 1997 US PGA, Clarke missed the cut after rounds of 74 and 79, and his abiding memory is of watching on television as Davis Love won and a rainbow formed in the sky over the 18th green.

There's no particular reason why Clarke hasn't done well in US Opens down the years, since making his debut in 1994.

"No, I haven't done anything in the past. I'll just play and see how I get on. I've been working on my game a bit at home with Ewan Murray, who is helping me change a few things. I'm aligning my swing a little bit."

Whatever happens this week, Clarke has no intention of staying on for next week's Booz Allen Classic, outside Washington. He'll be going back home.

And, although he has entered for the French Open in two weeks, he doesn't know yet whether he will be playing.

Graeme McDowell's 12th-place finish in the Barclays Classic at Westchester earned him $132,250, which moved him from 171st on the US Tour money list up to 139th. He also moved from 90th in the official world rankings up to 80th.

McDowell earned his place in the US Open field by emerging from the International qualifying at Walton Heath last Monday.

McDowell's only previous appearance in the US Open came last year at Baltusrol, when he made the cut but shot a poor final round of 81 to finish on 310, 21-over.