After basically choking away his chance at winning the Target World Challenge this past weekend, Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke was pragmatic regarding his downfall.

“I swung it pretty poorly all day and it was going left a bit, and then bogeying two holes of the last three was not really the way I wanted to finish. I should have went out last night,” said Clarke. “I hit it all over the place. It was the lack of alcohol.”

While the $800,000 Clarke pocketed for his second-place finish likely gave him the green light for glibness, something much more important can be taken from his comments:

Darren Clarke rocks.

Forget the refreshing crudeness of an Irishman blaming the lack of drink to be what held him back (though imagine Tiger running that line past the press), there is more to Clarke than that.

For going on four years now, Clarke’s wife Heather has battled breast cancer, which she has now been diagnosed with twice.

“My wife is a battler,” said Clarke. “She fights it so hard and I have so much admiration for her.”

Clarke is disciplined about updating his Web site, having posted nearly 30 messages in 2005, with posts discussing his wife and his golf game, though his seriousness regarding golf has understandably mellowed.

“She actually encourages me to go out and play. She doesn’t want me messing around the house but it’s difficult,” said Clarke. “I used get down on myself about almost everything golf wise. Now I am much more realistic.”

When the majors role around in 2006, Clarke’s name will be mentioned as a contender at all of them. Here’s hoping he takes one home. I’d love what to hear what he’ll have to say about it.

Darren and Heather Clarke.

–WKW