The Making of a Captain

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Darren Clarke is steeped in Ryder Cup history and a specially commissioned half hour documentary – produced by European Tour Productions and shown on Sky Sports this week – looks not only at that aspect, but also goes behind the scenes to capture the man behind the headlines.

‘Darren Clarke – The Making of a Captain’ – looks back on his five Ryder Cup appearances as a player and two as vice-captain, and also spends time with the 2011 Open Champion at his home in Portrush as well as garnering the thoughts of the people closest to him as to what makes the 46 year old the man he is today.

At times poignant, at times funny, the documentary – which gets its first airing on Thursday at 1.00pm on Sky Sports 4 – explains why the 14 time European Tour champion feels the captaincy is the highest honour which could be bestowed on him by his Tour peers, and also how he feels about going up against his good friend, Davis Love III in Minnesota.

Speaking to the media ahead of this week's US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Clarke said the anticipation was growing ahead of the impending start of the Ryder Cup Points Race but that he would be focusing on his own game for now.

"First week in September when the Points Race starts, I'll start playing very close attention to what's going on," said Clarke. "But at the moment I still want to try to play the best I can myself. But that will change as soon as the points start. I'll be more into how the team is shaping up and what's going on.

"But we have a big date coming up the end of the September, where Davis and I are at Hazeltine, we'll have a lot of stuff to do there. I know the European Tour have been out to Hazeltine looking at things. But Davis has the first choice on team rooms, hotel rooms, and rightly so, he's the home captain. But when I get there, I'll have the opportunity to look at things and make some more choices then.

"But certainly there's a lot of things that go on behind the scenes. But in terms of my first and foremost role is to try and do whatever I can to enable the European Tour to have the strongest team possible. My interest is more in the players. We've got a wonderful backroom team in the European Tour looking after the Ryder Cup. I trust those guys implicitly with their decisions that they make. They involve me in them, but I trust them enough that they will make the right decisions for me. My interest is more on what the players are doing, and what their plans are."

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McIlroy Praises Lowry Steel

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Rory McIlroy praised the "ballsy" performance of his friend Shane Lowry at the weekend in Akron after the Offaly man claimed victory at the Bridgestone Invitational at the weekend.

Showing nerves of steel to hold off the challenge of three Major winners to secure the biggest win of his career and a cheque for €1.45m, McIlroy was watching on was impressed by the resolve shown by his fellow Irish golfer.

"Shane's victory was fantastic," he said. "I played 18 on Sunday morning and came back to the house we are renting to watch it.

"Once he got into the lead, he hit a couple of wonder shots- that shot on 10, which was incredible. And he holed some big par putt putts down the stretch

"I texted him and said it was a pretty ballsy victory. And yes, he could be in the Olympics too, depending on how everything goes the next 52 weeks."

McIlroy has spent the past few days practising on the Wisconsin course, having been sidelined since early July when he suffered a rupture of his left ankle ligaments during a game of football with friends.

"If anything, my ankle feels even better when I swing hard," he told the Daily Mail.

The 26-year-old's injury ruled him out of the Scottish Open and the defence of his Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational titles, but he has been playing since the Monday that Zach Johnson inherited his Open crown.

"I've played a lot of golf since then, just finding the middle of the clubface again," he said. "And I've been chipping and putting basically since it happened, with my protective boot on...

"I did think about coming back last week at the Bridgestone but Steve (McGregor, his fitness coach) held me back. He thought it important for me to basically play a tournament behind closed doors and after I completed that successfully, it felt the right time to come.

"I'm ready to play and I expect to do well."

The four-time major winner has been paired with Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson for the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

He has not played a competitive round since a closing 66 in the US Open at Chambers Bay on June 21.

"Obviously it's important to remain world number one, I've made that clear. It's been a year since I got it back," 

"But it's just about playing well and winning tournaments and that's my main focus this week."

In his absence McIlroy has seen others such as Lowry make progress and he was quick to praise the 28-year-old for his victory in Bridgestone - even if he is now another rival.

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Lowry Might Become Cup Tied

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The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational next year will not be sanctioned by the European Tour as it clashes with the Open de France.

The Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, which is usually held in August, is being moved forward in 2016 by more than five weeks to accommodate golf’s return to the Olympics in Rio.

The WGC tournament will now be played between June 30 and July 3, the same date as the French Open which is one of the oldest national championships in European golf.

In a statement, the European Tour said: "The Alstom Open de France is the oldest national open championship in continental Europe and has been a fixture on the European Tour International Schedule since the Tour's formation in 1972.

"Furthermore, next year's tournament at Le Golf National will be the 100th staging of the event.

"Withdrawing the sanction means that the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational will not be part of the 2016 European Tour International Schedule, nor will money won in it count towards the Race to Dubai or for Ryder Cup points."

This year’s Bridgestone event was won by Shane Lowry, although a number of European Ryder Cup hopefuls may have to rethink their schedule next summer depending on their qualifying ranking at the time.

Keith Pelley, chief executive officer of the European Tour, said: “The Albatros Course at Le Golf National is currently undergoing renovation to prepare not only for next year’s landmark tournament but also for the staging of the Ryder Cup in 2018.

“We are confident that next year’s event, with an increased prize fund alongside the current renovations to the golf course, will properly reflect the importance of the tournament alongside the 100th anniversary celebrations.”

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