Darren Clarke knows he has a golden opportunity to make history as Ryder Cup captain next year.
Leading Europe to an unprecedented fourth successive win in the biennial cross-Atlantic showdown at Hazeltine National is a huge personal incentive.
At the same time, Clarke also knows he has huge shoes to fill following in the slipstream of Paul McGinley, who masterminded Europe’s vibrant defence of the trophy at Gleneagles.
McGinley earned rave reviews for his eye for detail and his intelligent, measured approach to the high-profile role.
I’ve no doubt Clarke, who outlined his hopes and plans at his first official function as captain on Monday, will try to stamp his own personality and style on the job over the course of the next 18 months.
But it was interesting to hear him suggest it would be “foolish” to change or alter the template that served McGinley so well in September.
It’ll be fascinating to see how Darren copes with the demands of emulating the successful European captains who have gone before him, not least McGinley.
For the past 25 years it has been Clarke who has set the on-course standard for fellow Irish golfers of a similar vintage like McGinley, but now that previously accepted dynamic has been tossed on its head.
Clarke is now in a position where he is having to mirror standards set by McGinley, who is rightly regarded as one of the finest Ryder Cup captains of recent memory.
Paul was popular, astute, inspiring and articulate. He provided the perfect platform for his players, who responded with a comfortable 16½–11½ win in Scotland.
Ian Poulter suggested afterwards that the Dubliner had raised the bar and now it is Clarke’s challenge to follow suit.
As a player, Darren has always been the colourful centre of attention, but he’ll have to adapt and assume a different role of being a leader of 12 young men.
I’ve no doubt he will be well organised and fully prepared for the task ahead.
He will also be able to draw on his experiences of featuring in five Ryder Cups as a player; and twice as a vice-captain, under Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal in European victories in 2010 and 2012.
He will relish the opportunity of writing another chapter in Ryder Cup history at Hazeltine National, but I just hope the demands of the job and long haul ahead don’t suck the last little bit of marrow out of his golf.
Clarke’s game has declined at an alarming rate of knots since his historic Open triumph at Royal St George’s in 2011.
I still hold out hope he will drag his game back into the limelight, but it will be tough focusing on on-course matters with the 2016 Ryder Cup countdown now fully underway.
Mac can strike oil in Texas
Graeme McDowell will be desperate to kickstart his campaign at this week’s Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.
In three starts on the PGA Tour in 2015, G-Mac has underperformed.
He has suffered two missed cuts at the Honda Classic and Arnold Palmer Invitational and has yet to card a round in the 60s.
His best finish? An underwhelming T56th at the WGC Cadillac Championship three weeks ago.
The Masters may be on the horizon, but Augusta poses too many awkward questions of Graeme’s game, so he’ll view the Texas Open as a key tournament.
He won’t be holding anything back in San Antonio and for that reason, I see the world No23 featuring come Sunday afternoon.
Here's hoping for better weather at the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco
I hope this week’s Trophee Hassan II in Morocco produces a weekend of golf to erase the frustration of last week’s weather-hit Madeira Islands Open.
The Portuguese tournament became only the third European Tour event in history to be abandoned due to rain and strong winds.
It was, of course, at last year’s Madeira Islands Open that popular tour caddy Iain McGregor lost his life after suffering a heart attack.
As news of Sunday’s cancellation broke, I couldn’t help but wonder if a higher power had a hand in events.
Maybe the unforgettable Mac tipped his glass up there.
In-form Jordan Speith looks like an American dream
Jordan Spieth heads into this week’s Valero Texas Open as a clear favourite and arguably the most in-form golfer in the world.
The World No6 will be out to back up his recent win at the Valspar Championship with a standout display in his home state.
The more I see of Spieth, the more I believe he is primed to carry the flag for American golf over the next decade.
Still only 21, his rise to prominence, from turning pro in December 2012 to the world’s top-10 just over two years later, has been remarkable. American golf is crying out for a new star in the wake of Tiger’s fall from grace and ongoing injury problems, and Spieth fits the bill.
Are there other candidates? Well, Rickie Fowler’s top-five finishes in all four majors last year was impressive, but he simply hasn’t won enough.
Dustin Johnson is another who has the quality and mentality to dominate the game in the States, but he lacks the likeability of Spieth.
So too Patrick Reed. The brash 24-year-old is an unapologetic winner, but his lack of charm leaves many golf fans cold.
With the Masters only two weeks away, Spieth is perfectly placed to carry the hopes of American golf into the first major tournament of the year.
Betting slip
VALERO TEXAS OPEN
- Jordan Spieth – 8/1 EW: Will be driven to follow in the footsteps of former top Texans on home soil
- Graeme McDowell – 45/1 EW: Needs a good week after missed cuts at Honda Classic and Arnold Palmer
- Charley Hoffman – 50/1 EW: A form player around this track. Four top-10s here since 2006.
TROPHEE HASSAN II
Emiliano Grillo – 25/1 EW: Argentinian will be highly motivated to record his first win on tour
Tyrrell Hatton – 66/1 EW: Promising young player is capable of making an impact here.
Hiroshi Iwata – 100/1 EW: Crazy price for one of the standout stars on the Japanese Tour.
