Darren Clarke finished with a 66 at Loch Lomond on Sunday

The Ulsterman's focus understandably slipped after the death of his wife Heather last year and he missed eight cuts until three weeks ago.

However, his joint 49th at the Buick Open was followed by an impressive tied 19th finish at the Scottish Open.

"I've put my head down to come through this and I'm very comfortable with my game," said the Ryder Cup star.

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Clarke has been paired with former US Open champion Michael Campbell and American Chris Di Marco for the first two rounds at Carnoustie.

He added: "I didn't realise how much it was going to affect me, Heather passing away.

"Different people handle it in different ways. I got through the Ryder Cup (in September) but then it all hit me.

"It's taken a long while and it's become increasingly frustrating. I feel like a rookie again, having a lot of weekends off."

"I'm not going to say I'm going to win this week because I've not been up there for so long but my ball striking is good."