Wednesday 25 February 2015 13:43, UK
Darren Clarke is hoping his appointment as Europe’s 2016 Ryder Cup captain will give him a lift when he returns to the course.
The 46-year-old Northern Irishman has missed the cut in five of his last seven European Tour outings and has not won a tournament since his memorable victory in The Open at Sandwich in 2011.
That poor run has resulted in Clarke slumping to 470th in the world rankings, but he is keen to start climbing back up the ladder, starting with this week’s Joburg Open in South Africa.
"Obviously my own competitive instincts haven't been too good of late," Clarke told the European Tour’s official website.
"The captaincy might actually be a blessing in disguise in terms of my golf because it will take my mind away from practising too hard and I'll have a lot of things to focus on. Hopefully it will help me play a little bit better.
“This year I don't think the captaincy will make an awful lot of difference but I would imagine next year it would make a big difference in my playing schedule."
Clarke will tee-off in a group alongside home favourite Thomas Aiken and Italy's Edoardo Molinari, while defending champion George Coetzee and last month's South African Open Championship winner Andy Sullivan also feature.
Watch the Joburg Open live on Sky Sports 4 from 8.30am on Thursday.
