DARREN Clarke is convinced he would be "a good addition" to Europe's Ryder Cup team – as long as he can prove he is in tip top form over the next fortnight.

Having turned 40 last week – and having taken a week off to mark the milestone during the SAS Masters in Sweden, Darren Clarke has had to face up to the fact that he can no longer qualify automatically for Nick Faldo's Ryder Cup side.

Darren Clarke returns to action in Holland in the KLM having been back to his native Northern Ireland for his birthday bash a week ago.

At Dublin’s K Club two years ago Darren Clarke was the inspiration behind Europe repeating their record 181/2-91/2 mauling of America inflicted at Oakland Hills Golf Course in 2004.

Darren Clarke pulled out his golf clubs just six weeks after his death of his wife Heather after a long battle against breast cancer and produced some heroic performances in the Emerald Isle.

Now he has got the bug to want to appear in his sixth Ryder Cup which takes place in Kenny Perry’s backyard in Kentucky in September.

Darren Clarke admitted during practice in Holland: “I've got to play well to have a chance of a wild card,"

In 2006 he won all his three games. Now he lies 25th in the points standings going into the action at Kennemer Golf Club with next week's Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles the last chance to try to impress Nick Faldo.

“I'm desperate to make it - I'd love to,” Darren Clarke added. “I'm doing everything I can, but whoever Nick picks I'm sure it will be the best team.

“If I don't play well these two weeks I'd have no complaints if I don't get picked - it would be totally acceptable. The first tee of a Ryder Cup is not the place to be if you're not flying on all cylinders.”

Darren Clarke has been working with StrokeAverage.com since the company’s early days offering golf stats and golf performance analysis to PGA European Tour golfers, including fellow Ryder Cup stars from Detroit – Paul McGinley and David Howell.

Neither of that pair have played well enough so far this year to make a strong case for one of Nick Faldo’s two wildcard picks.

But Darren Clarke finally ended a five-year barren spell with his first PGA European Tour victory in Beijing back in April by claiming the BMW Asian Open.

Despite a bit of a lull, he found some more momentum three weeks ago by finishing sixth in the Bridgestone Invitational World Golf Championship in Ohio – on the Firestone golf course where he won his second WGC title in 2003.

And he felt he played well at Oakland Hills golf course despite missing the cut before watching team-mate Padraig Harrington become the first European golfer to win back-to back golf Majors as the Open Champion added the USPGA Championship crown.

Darren Clarke said of his performance at Oakland Hills golf course: “I actually played okay there. I'd be the first to say so if I was terrible, but I wasn't.”

The K Club was the first time the Portrush golfer needed a captain’s pick since making his Ryder Cup debut at Valderrama golf club in 1997.

In Dublin, Darren Clarke won both his fourballs with fellow StrokeAverage.com user Lee Westwood and then beat Zach Johnson in the singles before collapsing into tears.

Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood have won their last four games in either fourballs or foursomes and also produced two victories together in the controversial defeat at Boston’s Brookline Country Club in 1999.

Veteran talisman Colin Montgomerie is woefully out of form but could still yet be called upon to repeat his heroics of 2002 and 2004 and extend his unbeaten singles record stretching back to Kiawah Island in the War on the Shore in 1991.

Two other members of the Oakland Hills golf team - Paul Casey and Open Championship runner-up Ian Poulter – have yet to break into Europe’s top 10 automatic qualifying places, but have both been in good form of late.

Golf article end.