Clarke’s Thoughts Far Away

He wore yellow-, pink-, brown- and cream-colored checkerboard slacks that were the brightest part of an otherwise dreary day. But Darren Clarke’s mind and mood probably were somewhere else Friday.

Clarke shot his best round at Pebble Beach, a six-under-par 66 in the second round of the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. It is a fact that may be surprising, not only because it’s his first PGA Tour event of the year, but also because his wife, Heather, is once again battling cancer at home in Surrey, England.

Clarke said it’s not necessary to ask how he feels.

“She’s the one dealing with it,” he said. “She’s doing great. If I was in her shoes, I wouldn’t be doing half as well as she is.”

Heather Clarke, who had breast cancer three years ago, thought she had it beat then learned that the cancer had returned in late November. She completed her fourth round of chemotherapy two weeks ago.

Clarke, who trails AT&T; leader Phil Mickelson by seven shots after two rounds, was fourth at the South Africa Open three weeks ago, but even though he’s playing well, his focus has understandably shifted from his golf. He calls home every day, at 5 a.m., to make up for the eight-hour time difference and so he can also talk to his two children, Tyrone, 6, and Connor, 4.

Clarke said everyone was doing as much as possible to try to keep things stable. He said he had assumed most of the child-care responsibilities when he was at home, after he and Heather learned of the diagnosis.

“People get diagnosed with cancer every day,” he said. “It’s a shock to the system, and we are just the same as any other couple battling a crippling disease. We are trying to do our best.

“Touch wood, it’s going very well.”

Clarke’s playing schedule is full, including next week at Riviera, then La Costa, Bay Hill, the Players Championship, Hilton Head, the Booz Allen at Congressional and the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, not to mention three trips to Europe to play European PGA Tour events.

That’s the plan, anyway.

“My schedule at the moment is tentative,” he said.