Golf:Darren Clarke fulfilled one dream by winning The British Open, but he has two more - returning to the Ryder Cup side next year and becoming Europe's captain further down the line. The Ulsterman was one of Colin Montgomerie's vice-captains in Wales last October and is keen to take charge himself one day.
Jose Maria Olazabal will lead the team in Chicago in 14 months' time, and Dubliner Paul McGinley (44), is favourite for Gleneagles in 2014. Clarke's popularity in America would make him a candidate for Hazeltine in Minnesota in 2016, when he would be 48.
Clarke's last playing involvement was five years ago, when he had a stunning three wins out of three in Europe's victory a mere six weeks after his wife Heather lost her breast cancer fight.
"It is definitely still an ambition," said the 42-year-old. "And if I get the opportunity to be Ryder Cup captain, possibly I may have a little bit more respect from players having been a major champion.
"When I'm possibly going to be captain I don't know. It may or may not put my aspirations back a couple of years from when I thought I may have been."
His triumph at Sandwich does not help him in terms of gathering points for next year's team. The qualifying race does not start until September.
"In saying that, I am a major champion," he added. "Jose Maria will be paying attention, as he always does, so we'll see where that brings me."
As for the next Major winner, Clarke has an inkling for stablemate Lee Westwood. His junior by four years was also playing his 54th major at Sandwich but missed the halfway cut and his wait goes on.
"Lee has done everything he can do to get himself into contention to win," said Clarke. "He has been there many times (six top-three finishes in the last three years). Unfortunately he's had guys that have played better or have had the bounce of the ball.
"I'm sure things will go his way because he's too good a player. The game is fickle - it hammers you. It hammers you and then it gives you something. Of all people, I think Lee Westwood deserves something to be given to him and I'm very sure that he will win majors and not just a major."
Clarke followed Charl Schwartzel and Rory McIlroy as winners of the Majors this season. And not only are they all members of the same management as Westwood, but last year's Open champion Louis Oosthuizen is as well.
"Right now it's been tough for him, obviously Rory winning and then me winning and stuff," said Clarke. "But if I was a gambling man, I would have a substantial bet on Lee Westwood winning the PGA in Atlanta - I hope he does."
The year's final major on August 11th-14th is now one of the events Clarke can add to his schedule. Not just for this year, but for the next four as well, while his victory earns him an automatic place in The Open until 2030 and in The Masters - a tournament he has not played the last four times - until 2017.
His three shot win over Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson is an astonishing turnaround for a player who, a week ago, was 111th in the world and without a major top-10 finish for a decade.
Following McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, he is the third Northern Irish golfer in the last 13 months to taste major success. In the previous 149 years there had been only Fred Daly.
In The Open alone, only three champions have been older than Clarke - Vicenzo, Harry Vardon and Old Tom Morris.
Asked if he appreciated what he had achieved more than he would have done when he was close to winning at Troon in 1997 and Lytham in 2001, he said: "Most definitely.
"Ten years ago I did take an awful lot of things for granted as a professional golfer. I'm much more appreciative of what the sponsors do, of what the players do and I'm much more switched on to everything that goes into the tournament."
Manager Andrew Chandler, who now has the chance next month of achieving what - because of his nickname - is being dubbed the "Chubby Slam", believes Clarke moving back to his homeland and becoming engaged to former Miss Northern Ireland Alison Campbell has played a significant part in realising his dream.
"He's happy," said Chandler, "and during the week I could see he had the same disposition that he had when he beat Tiger in the World Match Play (in 2000). It happens about once every three years with Darren and now he's back where he feels he belongs. It's changed where he'll be playing and it's made his career."
There will be huge financial benefits inevitably, but with €18.3 million Clarke was already the sixth biggest money-winner in European Tour history before he added another €1,030,000.
Like McIlroy and Westwood, he is not expected to take up the membership of the PGA Tour in America now available to him - in his case for five years - because as things stand that would require him to play 15 tournaments, but pressure is bound to grow now on that rule being relaxed further.
Wins in Japan and South Africa during his career have made him hugely popular in those markets, Chandler added, and part of his appeal in Asia is that he comes across so well as a drinking, smoking, middle-aged regular guy.
A man who really knows how to play golf whatever the weather, something McIlroy admitted to struggling with over the weekend.
"There's lots of advice I can give him (they will play together with Masters champion Schwartzel the first two days of the PGA), but I'm not going to share it with you," said Clarke. "He is as talented, even more talented, than anybody on the planet with what he can do with a golf ball.
"It's maybe a little bit of direction from his old mentor that will point him in the right way - he'll be fine."
McIlroy came through Clarke's junior golf Foundation and now, at 42 and 22, they are Open champion and US Open champion.
