Clarke to step back 'for foreseeable future'

Enough is very nearly enough for Darren Clarke.

Yesterday, after again defying all logic to work his way into contention in a major championship, the Ulsterman confirmed that the next three rounds of the British Open will comprise his total competitive golf for "the foreseeable future", as he puts away his clubs to spend more time with his wife, Heather, who is battling secondary cancer.

It means he won't play in next month's final major, the US PGA at Medinah, and is unlikely to include the Ryder Cup at The K Club in September in his plans as he devotes more time to the greater priority of his family.

"It's time for me now to spend time with Heather and give her all the support that I can. I don't have any plans to play golf for the foreseeable future after the Open," said Clarke, who opened with a 69, three-under, at Hoylake yesterday.

He added: "Everyone knows about Heather's situation. She's struggling a lot at the moment. It's tough, and it's time for me now to show her a lot of support and to give her the support that she needs."

Clarke (37) would be the sentimental choice of spectators and players alike to win the claret jug come Sunday. He has received considerable support from his peers on tour as he has attempted to juggle maintaining a playing schedule with his family responsibilities.

But sentiment is left behind in the locker-room once the quest for a major is under way, and Clarke went outside his regular circle to take advice from Dr Conor O'Brien, a Dublin consultant who advises the Olympic Council of Ireland and also works with the World Anti-Doping Agency in combating drug use in sport, in attempting to rectify his final-round fatigue of recent months.

O'Brien, a keen golfer and member of Portmarnock, had been at Winged Foot for last month's US Open, and observed Clarke again during the conclusion to last week's Scottish Open, where he again faded from contention in the final round.

So, on Wednesday night, O'Brien made a phone call to Clarke suggesting that the main reason for the player's fatigue coming down the stretch was his failure to take sufficient fluid on board.

As Clarke explained: "He noticed me this last couple of weeks looking a bit dehydrated and not quite doing what I should be doing on the back nines on a Sunday.

"He had a few tips for me, told me what to do and it seemed to work. He's an expert in his field, he knows what he is looking at and it was very obvious to him that that was one of my problems. It's something I've probably neglected, with all that's been going on. I just hadn't been thinking about that side of things."

Clarke immediately took up O'Brien's advice, drinking plenty of fluids on Wednesday night and loading up again yesterday morning before heading out for his first round.

Over the front nine, Clarke struggled, hitting only four greens in regulation.

"I managed to hang in," admitted Clarke, who rediscovered his ball-striking on the run home. He hit six of seven fairways and found seven of nine greens in regulation in grabbing four birdies.

"I am going to go out and play and keep doing what I'm doing. If I play the way I've played, then I might have a chance of getting myself into contention come Sunday. That's all I'm looking for," said Clarke.

He added: "You know, it is just nice to play a tournament where you can land it 40 yards out from the green if you so wish. You don't have to fire it over water or fly it over a bunker. You can run it in. This course is set up absolutely perfectly for an Open. I putted an awful lot better today than I have done for quite some time."

Clarke needed only 26 putts yesterday, just the sort of statistic required if he is to give himself a chance over the weekend.