TIME HEALS, as Darren Clarke has discovered. Small, upward steps on the graph have enabled the 39-year-old - "I'm still hanging onto my 30s," quipped Clarke, who reaches the big four-O in August - to reset targets, to set more ambitious goals. It's enabled him to tick boxes that others silently believed would be left blank.

Yesterday, the highlights in his hair and the trim body hinting at a physical rejuvenation as much as a mental one, Clarke - who rejoined the winner's circle last month with his win in the BMW Asian Open - shot the breeze at Adare Manor.

There was, at times, a frivolity to his demeanour; but, under it all, there was a hardness that only those who truly believe in their ability possess.

Clarke's jet-setting has been curtailed, by choice. Instead of attempting to qualify for next month's US Open at Torrey Pines, he has set out a schedule that will have him based in Europe as he sets about picking up world ranking points (he is currently 114th) and also Ryder Cup points (where he is effectively 30th).

So it is that The Irish Open, starting today, starts off a four-week stretch in Europe that will also take in next week's BMW PGA championship at Wentworth, followed by the Wales Open at Celtic Manor and then the Austrian Open.

Such a schedule reflects his desire to re-establish himself as one of golf's kingpins, not just in Europe but worldwide. After all, he's missed at the majors, the Players, the WGCs.

If he is to make Nick Faldo's European Ryder Cup team for Valhalla, Clarke - not even thinking about a wild card - believes he will need to win at least twice more over the summer months.

"I've got to win a couple more times. My whole schedule is based around Europe, and to get myself up the ladder again, to start climbing up the world rankings, which I've done . . . you know, I've got to win another couple of times to get myself in there.

"My goal is to try to make the team and if some people frown at my decision (not to attempt to qualify for the US Open), that's the way I see it."

Clarke didn't play in last year's Irish Open here, being a late casualty after sustaining a hamstring injury whilst playing football with his children in the back garden of his house. It was an injury that pretty much summed up how everything, at that time, seemed to be going against him.

But he fought back, and he never had any doubts that he would not only get back to winning ways but also rediscover his appetite. "If I had doubted it, I wouldn't have spent the time I was doing things. I wouldn't have been in the gym. I wouldn't have been hitting balls (on the range). I wouldn't have been doing that. But I was, and so I did."

It took time, but he persevered.

"My head was getting in the way," he conceded. "My concentration wasn't as good as what it should have been and I was making silly mistakes."

That win in the Asian Open was sandwiched in between other tour wins by Irish players, Damien McGrane in the China Open and Peter Lawrie in the Spanish Open.

Now Clarke would like to see Pádraig Harrington's win of a year ago replicated by another Irish player. "We'll be looking for another Irish winner this week . . . I watched on television last year and with Pádraig winning and going on to win the Open, it was a massive boost for golf in Ireland and then in recent weeks we've had four winners (on tour)."

And, if he can get his putter working, who knows? As Clarke remarked, "maybe a little bit of consistency on the greens is probably what's not right at the moment . . . but I'm very close. When I play well, I've got no doubts whatsoever about winning tournaments."

Sounds more and more like the old Clarke all the time.