Darren Clarke doing homework for "Car-nasty"

A million pounds beckoned just across the Irish border - yet Darren Clarke stayed home, playing old pals for a few bob.

Instead of being feted at the Murphy's Open, Clarke was at Royal Portrush.

"This is my homework for Carnoustie," said the top Brit of the US Open, gesturing at a moonscape of a course. "I wanted time on a tough links before the Open - especially if the course is as tough as rumoured.

"I hope they haven't gone over the top - if the wind gets up we could spend a lot of time hunting golf balls."

Darren sees the 7,361-yard Carnoustie as a shoot-out of the world's biggest hitters. "There are critical holes where only certain players will be able to fly well-placed bunkers," he says. "It's going to favour Tiger Woods, David Duval and Vijay Singh - men who can shift the ball a long way, even out of rough.

Darren is no slouch at belting a ball himself. There is an 11th place against his name at Royal Lytham and a brilliant, frustrating second at Troon two summers back. Arguably, it was one horrendous shank by the Irishman that allowed Justin Leonard to pip himself and Jesper Parnevik.

"I have never watched a replay of Troon," Clarke reveals. "Who needs a video of coming second?"

Sharing a first-class cabin across the Atlantic the other day were Tiger Woods and his coach Butch Harmon - Clarke's main threat and therapist side by side.

Darren's golf has soared since a link-up with the Las Vegan guru. But he stresses: "Butch is with Tiger first and foremost. But he'll make some time for me."

And information on his fellow pupil reaches Darren. "Tiger naturally flies his shots very high, which could be bad news in a Carnoustie westerly," he says. "He is practising knocking them down a bit on links in Ireland."

Clearly, Tiger remembers the humiliation of not making the cut at Carnoustie when he played the Scottish Open as an amateur.

At the US Open, Payne Stewart used his winning speech to whip up patriotic fervour about the Ryder Cup. But Darren insists events at Carnoustie will not affect the Cup one iota.

"It won't matter if 10 Americans or 10 of us fill the top spots," he feels. "It's all down to who has a good week in September."

Darren is equally dismissive of the popular notion that the Open has a permanent Indian sign on Colin Montgomerie. Though Monty's record is dismal, Clarke says: "This could be the one. Monty is far too good not to come through at some stage. Didn't he set Carnoustie's course record of 64 in the Scottish Open?"

Clarke refuses to bet on himself - a long-held superstition. But he does have his fancies for Carnoustie. "You can't ignore the world's top two - Woods and Duval," he says. "I also like Singh because he has European experience. Parnevik has knocked on the door more than once. And Lee Westwood is running into form at the right time."

Money has poured on Spanish wonderkid Sergio Garcia, but Clarke does not see this as the El Nino Open. "It certainly looks as if Sergio will win it one day," he concedes, "but surely even he has a bit of learning to do."

As for himself: "I feel good about my chance," he says, "and I'll definitely buy the video if I finish first!"