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Clarke relishes challenge at Singapore Open

Darren Clarke has brushed aside the possible effects of jet leg, saying he was looking forward to the challenge of the SMBC Singapore Open golf tournament

Musthofid (The Jakarta Post)
Singapore
Thu, January 28, 2016

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Clarke relishes challenge at Singapore Open

D

arren Clarke has brushed aside the possible effects of jet leg, saying he was looking forward to the challenge of the SMBC Singapore Open golf tournament.

'€œIt'€™s never easy, you know. You think I'€™ve been doing this so long I would'€™ve come up with some system for jet lag, but I still wake up in the middle of the night like everybody else,'€ the 48-year-old pro from Northern Ireland said during a press conference on Wednesday.

'€œBut, you know, I enjoy coming out here. There are some of the best courses in the world. There are lots of fans in Asia and I always enjoy being in Asia, so it'€™s always good to come back,'€ he said.

The US$1 million tournament teed off on Thursday at the Sentosa Golf Course with Clarke in a group with Yuta Ikeda of Japan and Arjut Atwal of India.

'€œGoing back and forth, back and forth, can be tiring, but I try to sleep whenever I can. When I go back after Malaysia, I go home for three days then I'€™m off to America.

'€œBut I'€™ve got four days of fishing over there before south bank '€” that'€™s my downtime where I get away from everything and recharge, pull myself through the jet lag and try to be competitive so I'€™ve got some bullets for my fight, it'€™s not too bad,'€ said the player, who turned pro in 1990.

He said the course was challenging.

'€œThe diversity of holes, you'€™ve got to hit drawers. You'€™ve got to drive the ball very well. Some holes are very rare and you can take a bit of a gamble if you want, but you'€™ll be in trouble if you get it wrong. So, it gives you options to do everything,'€ he said.

During his glittering career, Clarke has won 22 tournaments worldwide on the PGA Tour, European Tour, Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour Organization and the Sunshine Tour.

His most important victory to date came at the 2011 Open at the Royal St. George in England. He won the tournament by three strokes, beating out the Americans Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

He has also won two World Golf Championship events: The 2000 WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship and the NEC Invitational in 2003.

He was a member of five European Ryder Cup teams between 1997 and 2006, winning on four occasions, and later this year, he will captain the European team against the US at the Hazeltine National Golf Club.

He refuses to be carried away by the potentially tough task of leading his team at the Ryder Cup.

'€œI haven'€™t really thought about it to be honest. I went straight from the captain'€™s room to playing Abu Dhabi last week. I played the whole tournament, and then came straight here. I'€™ll go and have a meeting with the European Tour I think in two weeks time and then go to Wentworth where I'€™m leading the tour,'€ he said.

Meanwhile Ikeda acknowledged the tricky golf course on Sentosa Island.

'€œThe golf course is very tough. Distance holes tend to be against the wind. At the same time, shorter holes sometimes follow the wind. We need very technical shots and pin placement will become the key difficulty factor,'€ he said.

Being co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Japan Tour, the Japanese delegation makes up the most in the 156-player field with some 40 players.

World number one Jordan Spieth will tee off in a group with Kim Kyung-tae of South Korea and Yusaku Miyazato of Japan.

'€œThe tournament is starting earlier this year. I played EurAsia Cup two weeks ago. But last week I practiced in Thailand. Playing with Spieth, I would like to prepare for a good game,'€ Kim said.

Miyazato said he was prepared for the tournament.

'€œI am interested in the two players playing with me and how they play. But I like to concentrate on my own style of golf,'€ he said.
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'€œBut, you know, I enjoy coming out here. There are some of the best courses in the world. There are lots of fans in Asia and I always enjoy being in Asia, so it'€™s always good to come back,'€

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