Tour Scene News round-up: Sometimes, drastic circumstances require drastic measures; and Darren Clarke's freefall in the world rankings, to a current position of 69th, has led to an intensive upcoming tour schedule that will see him undertake a five-tournament stint in successive weeks, starting with this week's Spanish Open in Madrid.

"I can't remember the last time I played five in a row," admitted Clarke yesterday.

With such a proposed itinerary - which sees Clarke play the Spanish Open, then the Wachovia Championship and Players Champion in the US, before returning for the Irish Open at Adare Manor and the following week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth - the Ulsterman could have done without the nuisance of a niggling muscle injury, the circumstances of which at least brought a wry smile to his face when he recounted the story.

The pulled muscle occurred last week when he was playing an impromptu game of football with sons Tyrone (8) and Conor (6) in the back garden of their home outside London. "Conor did a two-footed tackle on me and I fell and pulled a muscle at the top of my hamstring . . . so I gave him the red card," quipped Clarke, who nevertheless could only play three holes of a planned practice round at Queenwood the following day and has undergone a regime of ice-pack treatment since to overcome the injury.

Still, Clarke, who yesterday officially opened the course which he designed on the Ballyna Estate at Moyvalley in Co Kildare, doesn't anticipate the injury will cause any serious disruption to his plans to re-establish himself as one of the world's top players.

Clarke has started working with golfing guru David Leadbetter on, as he explained, "a few different things . . . I've been sliding off the ball, not getting a big enough turn in my shoulders on the way back," in recent months but believes that, for all the work he has done on the practice range, he will only start to make serious inroads back up the world rankings by playing in tournaments.

"With all that's happened, it's difficult to get any momentum going. I can't force it, I've just got to play. I've got to get back to doing what I do, and that's getting myself back into contention (in tournaments). I've got to get myself back up playing the way I can. I'm pleased with what I'm doing on the practice range, I'm just not quite able to do it on the course yet," he said.

Of attempting to juggle the demands of being a single parent with that of a professional player on tour, Clarke admitted, "it's difficult, very hard. I'm basically just trying to be more careful with my timing and the time I spend with boys rather than going practising when I want to. I'm still adjusting to it, and it's very hard to get it right. When I'm on the course, my mind wanders a little bit and I've got to get used to it because (the situation) is not going to change.

"I want to start playing the way I can again. What can I do about it? I've got to go and play. I've to be understanding of why I am in that position and it would be very easy to get down on myself, to get hard on myself, but that's not going to achieve anything. I've got to go and play and try to get into a routine with the boys. The golf has taken a back seat. I didn't have a choice. The kids are going to come before anything. It's frustrating to be down where I am in the world (rankings), so I've got to get back into tournaments and play my way back up the rankings."

Clarke is not yet in the field for the US Open at Oakmont in June. He needs to break back into the world's top-50 to be guaranteed a spot, otherwise he will have to attempt to qualify for the season's second major. The run of five weeks on the road, though, at least offers Clarke an opportunity to play his way into form.

This week's Spanish Open is on a new course at the National Central club in Madrid, but he is familiar with the other four courses and is especially looking forward to returning to the Players at Sawgrass and the Irish Open at Adare Manor. Of the decision for the Irish Open to go it alone without a title sponsor, Clarke enthused, "I think it is brilliant, a fantastic move. We all need our sponsors, they're great, but the Irish Open sounds better than "whatever Irish Open". it's a big tournament for me, one I want to win."

Although a €1 million bonus has been offered should anyone win the Irish Open and follow up by claiming the following week's BMW Championship at Wentworth, a number of Europe's top players have decided to bypass the event. Clarke observed: "I want to play tournaments at the minute and it is fitting in exactly with what I want to do at the moment . . . unfortunately (for others) it is a good week to take off, because Sawgrass is so difficult and then you have Wentworth the week after. It is a tough one to play."

Nevertheless, defending champion Thomas Bjorn has confirmed he will be playing, as has former US Open champion Michael Campbell, while all of Ireland's top players - including Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell - are in the field.

It will be the fourth event of Clarke's five-week road trip that will take in four different countries. By then, he hopes he will have run into form . . . and that his world ranking will have improved to provide a more worthy reflection of his status in the game.