Clarke to reduce trips to America

Darren Clarke intends to cut back on playing golf on the other side of the Atlantic following the attacks on New York and Washington…

Darren Clarke intends to cut back on playing golf on the other side of the Atlantic following the attacks on New York and Washington.

The Ulsterman, who is world number eight and second on the European Tour money list, has also added his full support for the decision to postpone this year's scheduled Ryder Cup at The Belfry by 12 months.

"Travelling is part of my job and I have got to go and play in the majors and the world championship events," Clarke said in a radio interview with the BBC.

"But I will be going to America as little as possible. I will not be nipping backwards and forwards."

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This year, Clarke has played in four events in the US, with a highest finish of third at the WGC-NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio. Clarke, one of the more travelled European golfers, has also enjoyed sporadic trips to South Africa and Japan in recent years to supplement his core commitments on the European Tour.

The 2001 Ryder Cup was an early casualty following this month's atrocities but, while Clarke fully agreed with the decision to put the contest back by a year, he feels the 2003 and 2005 matches should go ahead as planned.

"Nobody really feels like playing golf at the moment and the Ryder Cup is about rivalry and emotion," he said. "And right now that is not the way it would be.

"But time is a great healer and, hopefully, when it (the Ryder Cup) does take place next year, it will be another great event."

Clarke disagrees, though, with the knock-on effect of the 2001 Ryder Cup postponement whereby the 2003 event will now take place at Oakland Hills Country Club in 2004 and the 2005 contest will be held at the K Club in Straffan in 2006.

"From a personal point of view, I would have kept playing the cup in the odd years," he said. "There are so many other events organised around the world and, as soon as we go into the even years, we are conflicting with other things.

"But the organisers have made a decision on commercial and other grounds, and with golf's best interests at heart."

Meanwhile, defending champions the United States have been made the top seeds for November's World Cup of Golf in Japan - four places above Ireland - but their elite two-man team has yet to commit to taking part.

World number one Tiger Woods and third-ranked David Duval, the reigning British Open champion, are scheduled to defend the title they won last December at the Buenos Aires Golf Club in Argentina.

Both players, however, have expressed concern over long-haul flying following the recent suicide plane attacks and neither player was keen to play in this year's Ryder Cup, had it taken place.

With the 2002 Presidents Cup also moved back a year, the 2001 World Cup could well face several player withdrawals if security concerns continue.

The World Cup, which has been won by the US six times over the last nine years, is scheduled to be staged at the Taiheiyo Club in Shizuoka, Japan from November 12th-18th.

Ireland, represented by Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, who won the event at Kiawah Island in 1997, are fifth seeds for the tournament with South Africa seeded two, Fiji three, Spain four, Canada six, Denmark seven and New Zealand eight, the European Tour announced yesterday.

The World Cup is one of four tournaments which make up the World Golf Championship.

American Steve Stricker won the season-opening WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at The Metropolitan Club in Melbourne during January and Tiger Woods won the WGC-NEC Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio in August.

The WGC-American Express Championship, scheduled to be held at Bellerive Country Club in St Louis from September 10-16th, was cancelled following the attacks on the US.

WORLD CUP SEEDINGS: 1 United States, 2 South Africa, 3 Fiji, 4 Spain, 5 Ireland, 6 Canada, 7 Denmark, 8 New Zealand, 9 Argentina, 10 Sweden, 11 Japan, 12 Wales, 13 Australia, 14 Scotland, 15 England, 16 Zimbabwe, 17 Paraguay 18 France.

Mary McKenna, one of the dominant figures of women's golf over the years, made an impressive bow in the British Seniors' Championship at Aberdovey in North Wales yesterday.

Fresh from her narrow success in the Irish equivalent last week, the 52-year-old from Donabate grabbed the first round advantage with a solid one over par 74.

She goes into round two this morning one stroke in front of Dublin-born Denise Parker, now attached to Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, who in turn is a stroke clear of Bristol's Ros Page.

Ireland's Valerie Hassett, who won this event once and been runner-up three years in a row, stayed well in touch with the leaders, returning an opening 78.