Darren Clarke will have tremendous pride in the Ryder Cup captaincy

The worst-kept secret in golf was revealed with the appointment of Darren Clarke as Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain.

Once Paul McGinley said he was stepping down, Darren had a clear field. In fact, this announcement could have been made a few days after Gleneagles.

With the unanimous support of the players, this was an easy decision, and shows how well our system is working.

I don’t think Miguel Angel Jimenez and Thomas Bjorn were realistic contenders this time. But I’m certain we’ll have a Continental captain for the match in Paris in 2018.

But just because our captaincy process is working so well and we’ve won the last three matches, this will still be a very tough job.

The US will be hurting so much and will be desperate to avoid another loss. That means Darren must stay one step ahead.

I was pleased to hear that Darren will meet up with McGinley to pick his brains over the art of captaincy, as Paul took attention to detail to a new level at Gleneagles.

However, I’d expect Darren to be more of an emotive leader in the style of Sam Torrance or Ian Woosnam.

He’ll be able to stir the players in the team-room and that passion will carry them to the first tee at Hazeltine.

No-one can forget his performance at the K Club in 2006, only weeks after the death of his first wife, Heather.

She knew how much he had wanted to play on home soil in Ireland, and he was able to channel that emotion into producing his best golf.

Darren is an Open Champion, has won two WGCs and been in four winning Ryder Cup teams. So he has what it takes, but he’ll need all that experience.

The law of averages tells you America will win the Cup back at some stage. Their putts will drop and things will go their way.

But Darren played at Brookline in 1999 and was a vice-captain at Medinah in 2012, so he knows about momentum swings and the bear-pit atmosphere of an American crowd.

We just hope it doesn’t swing back their way on his watch, and I wish him the very best of luck.

When I learned I was following in Tony Jacklin’s footsteps, I felt a sense of history, as you are joining an elite band of golfing legends. And Darren will have that same tremendous sense of pride which I felt all those years ago.