Clarke reckons McIlroy is right to go the US route

WITH HIS 43rd birthday just a matter of days away, Darren Clarke – who comes into this week’s USPGA Championship with the newly-elevated status of a Major champion after his win last month in the British Open – intends to enjoy the comforts of home life in Northern Ireland and he won’t be following US Open champion Rory McIlroy’s decision to find a home base in the United States.

“Rory is a young man with a huge future and, if he wants to take up his (US Tour) membership, it’s not that bad for him. The difference for me is that I’ve got two kids growing up at home. I’ve got a fiancée at home and my family is all there. I’m not in the same position as him.

“But Rory wants to pit himself against the best players in the world week-in, week-out and, if he wants to take up tour membership here, I personally think that’s a pretty good thing for him to do,” said Clarke of his protégé’s decision to seek out a Florida base and make the US Tour his main focus whilst also playing the required number of events on the European Tour.

Clarke – who himself was based outside London for over a decade of his career before making the move back to Portrush on the north Antrim coast last year – is enjoying the benefits of living back in the North, but, with growing intrusions into McIlroy’s private life, can also see the younger player’s reasons for moving.

“Everybody is so proud of Rory at home and everybody wants to say ‘hello’ to him and to speak to him, and rightly so. But I understand why (he has made his decision.)” He added: “Living in London made my commuting around the world all that easier and at that stage the troubles in Northern Ireland were pretty bad. I didn’t really want my kids brought up in that environment. Whereas now, I’m much more comfortable being back at home again because, for my boys, I couldn’t think of a better place for them now to grow up because everything has calmed down at home. I’m very proud to be from home and I want them to experience the same sort of thing.

“Patrick Kielty put it well on Twitter the other day when he said ‘must go home to Belfast for a couple of days away from all these riots’. Which I thought was absolutely brilliant.”

Clarke has yet to make a decision on whether to take up US Tour membership for 2012, with the bulk of his playing time committed to the European Tour. He plans to sit down with manager Chubby Chandler in the coming weeks to work out his plans for 2012, but it will continue to be from his base in Portrush.

As for Clarke’s own game heading into the season’s final Major, where he will play the first two rounds with McIlroy and US Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, the Co Tyrone man – who turns 43 on Sunday – is convinced his British Open win will act as a 15th club in his bag despite confessing to feeling tired and not having had the chance to re-energise the batteries since Sandwich.

“I’ve been there and I’ve done it. Inside, I’ve had no down time since the Open, so I’m looking forward to that . . . I was in a very good frame of mind the whole week (of the British Open) and hopefully I can get back to that.”

Yesterday, Clarke was out on the course early (before 7am) with McIlroy. Clarke played nine holes, McIlroy played 18. Having missed the cut at the Irish Open and then failed to fire at last week’s Bridgestone Invitational, Clarke – who hit the range for much of the afternoon working on his ball-striking – has adopted what he called a “pretty even-keel” level of expectation for the championship.

As he put it, “I’ll go and play and see how good my best is this week. You know, that’s what I’m trying to do every week.

“If I can play my best, my best is good enough to contend and win. And if I don’t play my best, I’m trying as hard as I can. My expectations are pretty even-keel. I’ll see how I get on.”

SELECTED TEE TIMES

THURSDAY

FIRST TEE

6.45pmCharl Schwartzel (Rsa), Rory McIlroy (NIre), Darren Clarke (NIre)

7.05Graeme McDowell (NIrl), Zach Johnson, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus)

TENTH TEE

1.35pmTiger Woods, Davis Love III, Pádraig Harrington (Irl)