Monty is our trump card, says Clarke

ANY of the five European rookies seeking advice from “veteran” Darren Clarke this week will be told to “get to the toilet early before you play on the first day”.

Clarke was in mischievous mood when he led the succession of players to the media tent for interview at 7.30 yesterday morning. He heads into his fourth Ryder Cup as one of the senior citizens in the European set-up and at this early stage of the week, seems satisfied to fulfil that role.

He described the recently-divorced Colin Montgomerie as "Britain's most eligible bachelor" and when asked to give details of his weight in the 2002 match at The Belfry compared with what it is today, he simply allowed that it was "very heavy and not so heavy".