In 2006 the Ryder Cup was played at the Palmer Course of the K Club; the first time the event was played in Ireland.

This would have made it a huge event in Ireland anyway, but the inclusion of Darren Clarke as one of the wild card picks on the European team increased the emotion a hundredfold.

Just six weeks after losing his wife Heather to cancer, Clarke was one of the European team going for a third consecutive win – in what would be a first for Europe.

In a recent interview the captain that year, Welshman Ian Woosnam, spoke about the decision to invite Clarke to play and the influence that decision had on the entire tournament.

“There on the sixteenth fairway, and on that green on the par five, with all the crowds around him, it was destiny,” Woosnam said.

“In 2006 the Ryder Cup was all about Darren Clarke and the European team saying goodbye to Heather Clarke.”

Clarke went on to take three points out of three in the games he played; Europe went on to win by 18½ points to 9½.

Ten years on it is Clarke who prepares to lead the European team for the 2016 Ryder Cup in Hazeltine, as they aim for a record four in a row.