Ballesteros lost me a Ferrari says Clarke.

DARREN Clarke's Ryder Cup debut in 1997 was tinged with disappointment - even though he helped Europe to a famous victory.

The powerful Ulsterman had been promised the gift of a Ferrari by his sponsors if he won at least two matches at Valderrama and remained unbeaten.

But with Clarke one of the newcomers in a side packed with experienced campaigners like Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam, captain Seve Ballesteros kept his opportunities to a minimum.

Dungannon-born Clarke was called into action only once over the first two days, partnering European number one Montgomerie to victory on the final green over Fred Couples and Davis Love.

That stirring fightback from two down after 10 holes on the Saturday morning came after Clarke had discovered only via the television that his services were not required on the opening day.

So it meant that to land the car of his dreams, the avid Ferrari fan had to beat Phil Mickelson in their singles encounter - but the task proved beyond him.

Left-hander Mickelson enjoyed all the luck, chipping in on two par-five holes, and although Clarke refused to give up he could never get back on level terms.

Twice he got to within one hole, only for the American to either birdie or eagle, and Mickelson wrapped up the win on the 17th as Clarke watched his Ferrari hopes go speeding off into the sunset.

However, Clarke was happy to ultimately end up on the winning team and admitted that Ballesteros' selections had proved spot-on, even though they had not been ideal for him personally.

"Seve made the right decisions," reflected Clarke, who has gone from strength to strength over the last two years. "I had no problem with the way things worked out and it didn't make any difference where his team announcements came from.

"I was a bit surprised I didn't play on the first day. But the final result showed that Seve was right."

This time, Clarke's status within the European line-up is in direct contrast as he is now one of the players who will be expected to show the ropes to rookies like Paul Lawrie, Sergio Garcia and Jarmo Sandelin.

And he admits he is relieved that skipper Mark James is likely to stand back and let his troops get on with the job rather than display the intensity of Ballesteros, who appeared to want to play every shot himself at Valderrama.

"Seve's advice was good for a rookie," said Clarke. "It helped you make the right decisions. Some of his advice I took and some I didn't.

"But we were all in a positive frame of mind at Valderrama and that came through in the match I played with Monty.

"We were actually too pumped up on a few shots and to be behind most of the way and then come back to win was fantastic."

Clarke, 31, has already sampled a Brookline course which has been set up kindly for the Europeans, with the rough trimmed down at the behest of American skipper Ben Crenshaw, who wants an even contest.

But one thing is certain as golf arrives once more on its most dramatic stage - Darren Clarke's involvement will be more than just a cameo role this time.