Themen über das Spiel! » mindset, his character, his determination.

Darren Clarke knows his way around a spotlight.Europes Ryder Cup captain has won just one major, but like so many of his 21 other wins in some far-flung places, Clarke made sure it was memorable.Five years ago, playing in his 20th British Open at age 42, the burly Northern Irishman held off Americans Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson down the stretch at Royal St. Georges, then topped it with one of the more gracious tributes the old golf ground ever hosted.In terms of whats going through my heart, theres obviously somebody who is watching from up above there, and I know shed be very proud of me, Clarke said, honoring his first wife, Heather, whod succumbed to cancer five years earlier. But I think shed be more proud of my two boys and them at home watching more than anything else. Its been a long journey to get here.Few men are better prepared to give an impromptu locker-room speech that would make the hair on the arms of an entire team stand on end. Or better at throwing a locker-room party. Both skills will come in handy with an inexperienced European squad trying to make it four in a row against the Americans next weekend at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.It wont hurt, either, that Clarke could grab his clubs at a moments notice and play very capably alongside them still. Or that he did just that on five straight Ryder Cup teams between 1997-2006, going 10-7-3 and winning four times (and twice more as a non-playing vice-captain in 2010 and 2014). Or that hes a world-class bartender, tarpon fisherman and Liverpool FC supporter in his spare time.But all those things combined only begin to explain why every member of the team will play his heart out for Clarke.Because theyre all old enough -- including the six rookies -- to remember how he did the same for Europe in 2006, arriving as a wild-card pick barely six weeks after losing his wife and delivering three points in three matches. And they cant help but admire how hes handled every big moment, before and since, with the same warmth and candor.Rory McIlroy still remembers first time they met. Larger than life is how he described it.McIlroy was celebrating his 10th birthday with a round of golf at Royal Portrush, a gift from his father. Clarke, who is 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, was there practicing. After years of modest success on the European Tour, his popularity was soaring after taking down Tiger Woods nearing his prime, 4 and 3, in the final of the WGC-Matchplay Championship. Clarke took some time with the kid.Fast-forward to three weeks ago, when McIlroy -- now 27 and a three-time major winner -- was asked whether Clarke still had that charisma.I think so. As a 10-year-old, hes a big man and youre in awe of him a little bit, especially being in Northern Ireland. And hed just beaten Tiger, McIlroy recalled.A moment later, he revealed what impressed him about Clarke now that he was a seasoned pro himself.The one thing about Darren that is misunderstood ... hes obviously a happy-go-lucky sort of guy, but he practices really hard. Hes one of the hardest practicers Ive ever come across. Hell do his due diligence, McIlroy said. Hell make sure he does everything he can to help us.Clarke admits hes spent a few sleepless nights lately doing just that, getting up at all hours of the morning to type notes on his phone. His plan is to mix and match the tactics and styles of all the captains he played for and worked alongside -- they range from flamboyant Seve Ballesteros to dour Mark James -- and hope he gets the timing right. But he feels like hes already identified the hardest part -- knowing when to get out of the way -- and made some progress that way.The times Ive been a vice-captain I would go down and watch some of our players and see them hit a draw into a back right flag and say, `What are you doing that for? Clarke said in a recent interview with GOLF.com. I wanted to go and grab the club and say, `No, its a little soft cut. ...That was certainly true at Celtic Manor (in 2010). At Medinah (in 2012) I was somewhat calmer about everything. And Im sure as captain, yes, I will be nervous as soon as we all go off.But it will be fine, he added. Those guys are there for a reason. Thats why they are playing. David Price Jersey .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Custom Boston Red Sox Jerseys . 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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Under Bill Belichick, the Patriots have become masters at culling more diamonds than duds from the NFL draft.This summer was no exception despite New England drafting without a first-round pick as part of its Deflategate punishment.New England picked Alabama cornerback and punt returner Cyrus Jones in the second round. Then, a few rounds later they went with another Southeastern Conference-tested prospect, Georgia receiver Malcolm Mitchell.Both are having memorable seasons as the Patriots wind toward the playoffs following a 30-23 win over the Ravens Monday night . But only Mitchell is producing the kind of memories worth savoring.Mitchell has become a reliable target for Tom Brady, picking up the slack nicely for receiver Danny Amendola, who missed his first game of the season with an ankle injury. Mitchell had four catches for 41 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter that helped put the Patriots up 16-0.Hes posted all four of his touchdowns this season over the past four weeks. Not bad for a player whose season seemed in peril after he suffered a gruesome-looking left elbow injury during New Englands preseason opener.It says a lot for a rookie to be playing his best in December, Brady said. It speaks to what hes all about, his mindset, his character, his determination. Hes worked his butt off since he got here and hes put himself in a great position. With Danny getting hurt hes gotten more opportunity, and were going to need it.Meanwhile, after struggling too hang on to the ball during kick returns , Jones issues continued against Baltimore.ddddddddddddHe had his fifth fumble of the season in the second half, setting up Baltimores first touchdown two plays later.Jones wore the disappointment on his face as he trudged toward the sideline following the turnover, a reminder that he still needs work on an issue he thought he was past.But coach Bill Belichick put the onus on the entire team to be better at ball security and eliminating mistakes, noting special teams captain Matt Slaters fumbled kickoff and Bradys interception Monday.We turned it over three times and all of those players and all of the other players -- weve got to do a better job of it, Belichick said. Weve got to coach it better. Weve got to handle it better.Despite his ongoing issues, Jones still has a lot of support in the locker room.Youre going to have some bad plays out there, safety Devin McCourty said. Youve just got to keep playing. Well continue to count on him, keep on making sure his confidence stays high.Mitchell said overcoming mistakes was the biggest key against the Ravens.We played as a team, even when we dealt with adversity, he said. We still stuck together, stayed focused, and did enough to win the game.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter a http://www.twitter.com/khightower ' ' '