It is now official- Darren Clarke will play in the Ryder Cup later this month at the K Club.

I have always been a fan of Clarke’s, and I forsee him being a tough point in the matches. If I were a gambling man , it would be hard for me to bet against Clarke on Sunday this year considering the current circumstances and the fact that the Ryder Cup is in Ireland.

In fact, I will have a tough time pulling against Clarke. While I still love the memory of Justin Leonard’s bomb in 1999 and I still consider myself to be a major supporter of everything good in America, I just don’t find myself to be emotionally tied to this year’s Ryder Cup Team. Vaughn Taylor, Brett Wetterich, J.J. Henry, and Zach Johnson are probably nice guys and are deserving of their spots based on the current system, but there are some other players that would increase my level of interest, and therefore my level of support for the team with their presence. This group includes, but is not limited to Fred Couples, Corey Pavin,John Daly, Fred Funk, or better yet, Michelle Wie (can she honestly be serious with her recent comments? Someone needs to start teaching her to keep her mouth shut). Can anyone honestly say that these players are more of a risk in competition than some of the names on our roster right now? Why is it that the PGA can’t recognize this as well and look into changing the way the team is selected? As I’ve said before, I’m in favor of more captain’s picks and fewer automatic spots.

Most people feel that it is a given that we should be in full support of the American team simply because they are the American team, but I haven’t seen much fire from our side over the past two events. When the players haven’t seemed that concerned about bringing the cup home to the U.S. (see Chris Riley, 2004), I don’t feel obligated to pull for our team over very likable players who represent a lot of good things about golf like Darren Clarke.

I love America, I would love to see our team win the Ryder Cup, and I would love for there to be a great down-to-the-wire finish. But I would mostly love to see Darren Clarke play well, even if that means sending our guys home empty handed.

I’m a fan of America, I’m a fan of national pride, but mostly, I’m a fan of great golf at the Ryder Cup, and that’s what I want to see in two weeks more than anything else. With Darren Clarke in the competition, the Ryder Cup is better than it would have otherwise been.