Over the first couple of days of the 39th Ryder Cup at the Medinah Country Club four years ago, everything was going perfectly to plan for then US captain Davis Love III.

Darren Clarke will take a step back from his hectic schedule as European Ryder Cup captain next week with a diary free of official business. Yet while on the face of it there will be some calm before the dramatic storm of the resumption of golfing rivalries with the US at the end of the month in Minnesota, it is doubtful the Irishman will be sleeping any easier.

No-one should underestimate the importance of next Tuesday in the golfing life of Darren Clarke, because it is then that he will have to reveal his hand.

In the mind’s eye, he will always have a hurley in his hand.

Rory McIlroy believes the USA are ‘desperate’ to end Europe’s dominance in the Ryder Cup.

Darren Clarke admits his lack of experience as a skipper will leave him heading into the unknown at Hazeltine in 19 months’ time.

Sam Torrance has criticised Nick Faldo for labelling Sergio Garcia “useless” on the eve of September’s Ryder Cup, branding the Englishman “an arsehole”.

Sam Torrance has criticised Nick Faldo for labelling Sergio Garcia “useless” on the eve of September’s Ryder Cup.

When eight-time major champion Tom Watson was picked to captain the US Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles, it was considered a masterstroke by the US PGA.

Out of bed at seven.

When Tom Watson was appointed captain of the US Ryder Cup team he talked openly about having finishers in his team — players capable of closing the deal when the chips were down — and yesterday in the morning fourballs he got his wish.

Paul McGinley believes his experience "riding shotgun" during Europe’s remarkable Ryder Cup run of success has made him better equipped to step into the captaincy role at Gleneagles this weekend.

European captain Paul McGinley insists he has not “tricked up” the Ryder Cup course at Gleneagles, but admitted Mother Nature had played an unexpected role.

Players aside, this week’s Ryder Cup is expected to be the most commercially successful ever.

European vice-captain Sam Torrance has backed his side’s rookies to thrive under the pressure of the Ryder Cup and make the most of the “huge” advantage of playing at home.

Pádraig Harrington’s future as a Ryder Cup player looks less certain than ever after he admitted his appointment as one of Paul McGinley’s five Ryder Cup assistants is a test to see if he’s got the right stuff to become captain himself.

Padraig Harrington admits being a vice-captain in this year’s Ryder Cup will tell him if he his cut out to lead a European team himself in the future.

European captain Paul McGinley has named Padraig Harrington, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Jose Maria Olazabal as his final vice-captains for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles later this month.

It was on Monday evening that Paul McGinley bit the bullet, picked up the phone and put his friendship with Luke Donald on the line by telling him he would not be on Europe’s Ryder Cup team this month.

European captain Paul McGinley will leave it to the last minute to decide on his Ryder Cup wild cards, admitting "something spectacular" could yet influence his decision.

It hardly mattered that he didn’t make a birdie and missed the cut comfortably after a sad 78.

European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley had a sense US Open champion Martin Kaymer was on the verge of producing something special and believes the “low maintenance” German will make an ideal team member at Gleneagles.

Despite a mid-round mishap Darren Clarke has put his new slimmed-down frame into contention to end a more than two-year winless drought at the Valspar Championship in Tampa, Florida.

European Ryder Cup vice-captain Des Smyth will get an early chance to reacquaint himself with the rigours of the role when he teams up with Miguel Angel Jimenez for the inaugural EurAsia Cup in Malaysia in two weeks.

Rory McIlroy was bitterly frustrated with his putting as he went right off his greens in the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral.

Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has thrown down the gauntlet to Pádraig Harrington to produce the form that will make a pick on Europe’s team to face the United States at Gleneagles this September.

Des Smyth spoke yesterday ofhis delight at being thrust back into the Ryder Cup limelight after he was named by fellow Irishman Paul McGinley as a Team Europe vice-captain for this September’s matches against the USA at Gleneagles, Scotland.

European captain Paul McGinley today named Sam Torrance and Des Smyth as his first two vice-captains for September’s Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

The composition of Paul McGinley’s Ryder Cup backroom team for Gleneagles in September should become a little clearer today when the Dubliner hosts a European Tour press conference in his home town.

Darren Clarke will have to wait to make his 500th European Tour appearance after pulling out of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters through injury.

Darren Clarke joins an elite club of just 25 members to have competed in 500 European Tour events when he tees up in this week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

Paul McGinley declared he now has 20 players better prepared for Ryder Cup selection following the dramatic conclusion to the Seve Trophy at St Nom-la-Breteche yesterday.

Great Britain and Ireland’s Simon Khan had to pull out of the Seve Trophy on Sunday with a back injury, with Thomas Bjorn volunteering to step aside for the Continental Europe team at St Nom La Breteche.

Reigning Irish Open champion Paul Casey continues to stake his claim for a return to Ryder Cup action next year after another impressive display on day two of the Seve Trophy in France.

Paul McGinley declared he would be taking a backseat role but there was no hiding the enthusiasm of the European Ryder Cup captain on the opening day of the Seve Trophy near Versailles.

Former Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal will attempt to bring some Medinah magic to the Seve Trophy and lead another European side to a team triumph.

Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has expressed disappointment Shane Lowry is not in France for the Seve Trophy, commencing in France today.

Shane Lowry secured his best finish in nearly a year but two crowd distractions over the closing holes in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews cost him victory.

Paul McGinley continues to make it clear that he will be his own man when attempting to mastermind Europe’s Ryder Cup defence at Gleneagles next year.

The age old adage that you should be careful what you wish for is certainly holding true for Darren Clarke, just eight months after what was described as an “unseemly” politicking for the Ryder Cup captaincy.

Jose Maria Olazabal and Sam Torrance will lead the respective teams in the Seve Trophy in France this October.

Rory McIlroy last night called on the European Tour Players’ Committee to resist any temptation to award Colin Montgomerie a second Ryder Cup captaincy and again called for Ireland’s Paul McGinley to be handed the job of leading Europe’s defence at Gleneagles in 2014.

Christy O’Connor Junior, who will always be remembered for the 2-iron shot at the 18th hole at The Belfry that enabled Europe to retain the 1989 Ryder Cup, believes it will be a “disgrace” and a demonstration of “anti-Irishness” if Paul McGinley isn’t appointed captain of the team to defend the trophy at Gleneagles in 2014.