Courtesy: Golf Punk Online

I like Darren Clarke. I like anybody whose demeanor says "what you see is what you get".

I probably wouldn't like too many Hollywood stars for that reason.

But Darren Clarke? He's a straight shooter.

One of the sites I link to on eagleparbirdie.com is Golf Punk Online. It's a British-based golf magazine that lives up to its name.

And it was when I was poking around on their site that I found an old article published back in 2005, a conversation with Darren Clarke.

The story was written before Clarke lost his wife, Heather, to cancer in 2006. At the time, she was undergoing treatment for a heart problem stemming from her cancer therapy.

Darren was upbeat about her chances, confident in her recovery. As he talked about life on the tour, he commented on the cost of travel and how many pros lease jets or buy flying hours to get directly to tournaments.

Clarke said it meant he could spend an extra week a year at home with his wife and kids in time saved.

When asked about his plans for the following year, 2006, he said he'd like to take a shot at making the Ryder Cup team. But, he said, it would depend on how well Heather was.

We know what happened. She died, leaving Darren to deal with the loss of his best friend and mother of his children.

If it were me, I'd have been a damn mess for a long time. He probably was too.

But he demonstrated a spirit that I would argue is heroic; he accepted Ian Woosnam's offer of a captain's pick and played one helluva a Ryder Cup.

And he's a guy who would buy you a beer five minutes after meeting you and agreeing to autograph your golf hat.

He's a guy you just like even if you've never met him. Read the article. You'll really enjoy who this guy is.