More times than not, Darren Clarke gives the impression of a man in a hurry. Sometimes it's when you see him stomping his way up the fairway, yards in front of his caddie, and sometimes it's on the green when he has barely stood over the ball before beginning his putting stroke. Blink and you miss the moment of impact, writes Philip Reid, Golf correspondent
Yet, conversely, the 34-year-old Tyroneman - without a tour win in over a year - has shown a considerable degree of patience in attempting to solve the putting inadequacies which are at the root of his winless run.
Yesterday, as an inch and a half of rain doused the course at The K Club in Straffan, Clarke could be seen methodically hitting putt after putt on the putting green before undertaking a full practice round on a course which he later asserted "just gets better and better each year".
Clarke's mood here contrasted sharply with his demeanour after the final round of the US Open in Chicago over a fortnight ago. After a dispiriting putting performance which included four-putting from 10 feet on one green in his final round, Clarke lamented: "Do you know, I just have no idea any more.
"I've tried everything. I cannot compete in any golf tournament if I don't capitalise on my play and if I don't make the putts on the green. I'm not doing that. I have got no idea, no feel, no nothing. I really don't know, have no idea, what's going on. I am at my wits' end."
Now, it seems, he is no longer in such despair; and the reason is that Clarke, when he got home from Chicago, went back to his putting basics by visiting Harold Swash, the man known as the "putting doctor".
The first step Clarke took on returning home was to pay a visit to Paul Hurrion, who is based near the Forest of Arden in the English midlands. Hurrion, who works with Swash, has a computer lab and he was able to analyse Clarke's putting stroke. "We found out a few things," said Clarke. After that, he paid a visit to Swash in Hillside, outside Liverpool, where, Clarke said: "We addressed a few things . . . We changed my grip and changed my posture." The changes are not major surgery, but they've left him more upbeat than he was on leaving Chicago.
"They were not that difficult for me (to implement) because, when I first came out on tour (in 1991), I worked with Harold anyway. And then the more I went down the route of trying to improve my swing, the more I sort of disregarded my putting fundamentals. Basically, I've gone back to how I putted then, and it feels fine. I have to make a commitment to stick with one method.
"I think I am taking a step in the right direction, addressing the right stuff. I made a commitment to Harold and I'm not going to listen to anything else. I'm not going to chop and change any more. It's a lot easier to be more relaxed if your mind is clear and I'm looking forward to getting the results that I feel I deserve.
"I've still got own expectations. If I can get my putting to click and get my short game to click then I believe there are good results to come. At least I know what I am doing again which is very positive for me."
Last week, Clarke spent much of the time - his second week away from tournament play - working on Swash's suggestions at the Queenwood Club outside London, where the greens are among the fastest in this part of the world.
Clarke also paid a visit to Royal St George's, where the British Open takes place later this month. For the visit, he used a caddie who has worked at Sandwich for 45 years, and so impressed was he with the veteran caddie, Clarke has arranged to meet up on the Tuesday prior to the Open - along with his own caddie, JP Fitzgerald - for a practice round around the course.
Of more immediate concern, though, is this week's Smurfit European Open on a course where Clarke once shot 60 - in 1999 - and which he won in 2001.
"It's always great to play here. The course is in great shape. I've found the rough is not quite as tough as it usually is. It's usually much thicker and you have to chop it out. But you can actually get some good lies this week."
Still, he suggested the course was playing probably "three or four shots" tougher than it was when he shot his round of 60.
There are 14 Irish players competing in this week's European Open. Clarke is joined by Padraig Harrington - who has finished second for the past two years - Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley, Peter Lawrie, Gary Murphy, Damien McGrane, John McHenry, Brendan McGovern, John Dwyer, Philip Walton, Leslie Walker, Damian Mooney and Jimmy Heggarty.
Elsewhere, Des Smyth makes his European Seniors Tour debut in the £500,000 Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open at Royal St David's, Harlech, starting on Friday. Eamonn Darcy and Christy O'Connor jnr also play.
