Clarke urges caution on Ryder Cup prospects

WITH only a week until the Ryder Cup, Darren Clarke spent yesterday resting a sore wrist and urging everybody not to go overboard about Europe’s chances of keeping the trophy in Detroit.

"Hopefully, we don't build our hopes up too much because we don't want to do that," said the Ulsterman after deciding not to risk aggravating his "tweak" in the eve-of-tournament pro-am for the German Masters in Cologne.

"But we are looking pretty good. I think we have a good blend between youth and experience.

"It's always a bigger task to win on American soil, but hopefully we will be up to it. Everybody is in good spirits and looking forward to it.

"There's always going to be home support wherever it is, but hopefully everyone will cope with it."

The basis of what optimism there is comes from the result of the last two events.

At the BMW International in Munich Miguel Angel Jimenez was first, Thomas Levet second, Paul Casey and Colin Montgomerie third and Clarke and Paul McGinley joint sixth.

Then last week, with only three members of the side competing in the European Masters in Switzerland, Luke Donald was first, Jimenez second and Sergio Garcia third.

"It was thrilling to see," said captain Bernhard Langer yesterday. "It's obvious all the players are playing well and I'm going to need them to play well if we are to have a chance of bringing home the Ryder Cup.

"It was just awesome to have the three fighting all week for a victory. I don't care what message it may send out to the Americans because I'm just glad the guys are playing well."

Donald's win came seven days after Langer gave him and Montgomerie his two wild cards and the German commented: "It was a fantastic response from Luke.

"The result could not have been better and it just shows how good a player he is to have played only eight events in Europe this year and win twice. I'm delighted for him."

Donald and Garcia had already decided to rest this week, but now Lee Westwood and David Howell are absent as well.

Howell, another of the five new caps, is suffering from a heavy cold, while Westwood's wife Laurae gave birth to their second child Poppy Grace on Sunday and he has not surprisingly decided to stay at home for the week.

That makes Clarke's health the most worrying thing for Langer, but the world number 16 insists it is "nothing much" and he will be fine for today's first round at Gut Larchenhof.

"I felt a little bit of a tweak when I caught one a little heavy on the range," he stated. "I went to the physios who had a look at it and strapped it up purely as a precaution. That's why I pulled out of the pro-am. I've had stuff like this before and everything is fine.

"It's okay when I hit short pitch shots, but it is on the longer shots that I feel it a little bit, so I didn't want to go out and play and make it any worse."

Langer and his assistants Anders Forsbrand, Joakim Haeggman and Thomas Bjorn are also competing for the 500,000 first prize, as is British Open champion Todd Hamilton, making his first trip to Europe since his Royal Troon play-off success over Ernie Els.