Clarke taking advice from Nicklaus

"Jack always said he'd forget every three-foot putt he'd ever missed and I'm doing the same with my shank," said the genial Northern Irishman in a news conference on Tuesday.

He was referring to the mis-hit right into serious trouble in the final round at Troon in 1997 which cost him the chance of Open glory that year.

"I can't remember if it was the second or third hole where I did that," said Clarke. "Same kind of thing as Jack does, I guess -- try to forget all about it.

"Bottom line, though, is that I didn't play well enough to win the Open Championship. And Justin Leonard deserved it that year."

Nicklaus's selective memory trick has served him well over the years with a record 18 major wins.

The 35-year-old Clarke has yet to win one -- his tied second in Troon seven years ago is as close as he has come -- but he has embarked on a recent fitness and diet plan which has helped him shed 45 pounds and, he hopes, step up to the highest level.

It has yet to equate with improved performances on the fairways, though, and so far this season he has not won in either Europe or the U.S.

His form hit a low last week in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond where rounds of 71 and 73 left him outside the halfway cut.

"My timing has not been where it needs to be, hence my inconsistency. The only thing I can do to turn it round is practice," he said.

Clarke has taken advantage of his enforced break from competitive action to reacquaint himself with Troon at the weekend and play extra practice rounds on Saturday and Sunday.

He likes what he sees of the course. "It's very fair and there have been occasions when you haven't been able to say that about an Open Championship course. If you hit a tee shot down the middle, the ball is going to finish on the fairway."

The test now for Clarke is simply to hit the ball straight -- and avoid the shanks.

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