LIMERICK, Ireland (PA) -- Darren Clarke has set his sights on winning twice more in the European Ryder Cup qualifying race -- and, he says, this week's Irish Open at Adare Manor will do nicely for one of them.

Defending champion Padraig Harrington and Lee Westwood, both looking to bounce straight back from missing the cut at The Players Championship in Florida last Friday, are the two favorites. But Clarke's confidence remains high three weeks after his first European Tour victory in almost five years at the Asian Open in Shanghai.

It is now 21 months since the 39-year-old Ulsterman's wife Heather died of breast cancer, and it was no surprise his career spiraled downward after that.

"Being a single parent has taken a while to get used to," said the father of two. "It's definitely been a different experience, to say the least, looking after the boys, making all the decisions myself.

"It's not something I ever did before. I suppose everybody has difficult times, but I definitely got closer to my boys through what's happened," he explained. "They are happy and I'm certainly a lot happier than I've been for some time. It's just progressing, It's life moving onwards, that's all.

"There were a few times last year where I was going back to venues where I remembered Heather and I used to stay," he added. "I couldn't quite focus on what I was trying to do. My concentration wasn't as good as it should have been."

This season it has not been so hard for him on that front and, having played in the Ryder Cup a mere six weeks after she passed away, he thinks being part of this year's team will be a lot easier.

Not that he did badly at The K Club, of course. Amid emotional scenes that were a severe test of his character, Clarke began with a sublime birdie, played three matches and remarkably won them all.

Even after his win in China, though, he is currently still outside the top 25 on the qualifying table and that explains his decision to add the Wales Open to his schedule in two weeks' time and skip the U.S. Open qualifier the following day.

"My whole schedule is based around Europe, to start climbing up the world rankings, which I've done," he said. "It's all worked out as we would have hoped so far and I'm doing everything I can to try to make the Ryder Cup team. It's one I desperately want to play in.

"Some people may frown at my decision, but that's the way I see it. My preparations wouldn't be the way that I would want them going into a major championship."

Asked if he felt his game was now good enough to win any tournament he played in Clarke replied: "Very close. When I play well, I've got no doubts whatsoever about winning tournaments. I know I can play."

As the defending champion, Harrington might have expected to have all the focus on him entering the tournament. But in addition to Clarke's success, fellow Irishmen Graeme McDowell, Damien McGrane and Peter Lawrie have also won on the European Tour in recent weeks.

"They are taking the plaudits and there's less for me to do, so I'm better prepared than last year," said Harrington. "I'm also a better player and I think last week (he bogeyed the last five holes to crash out) will have zero effect on this event.

"I think more players are going to be comfortable with the course this time, though."

Last year, Harrington became the first Irish winner of the Irish Open since John O'Leary in 1982. It was an emotional victory for Harrington -- and it was followed, of course, by his British Open triumph at Carnoustie.

"As it turned out, the Irish Open victory meant more than even I realized at the time," he said. "I always found it very difficult to handle the pressure, the distractions and the general hype of an Irish Open.

"Years of that building up, the fact that no Irishman had won it in 25 years, the media hype going into the event and then to actually finally win the tournament was ever so big for me," he added. "It was a relief, but overall there was a sense of euphoria to go on and win it. It was a big catalyst for going on to win The Open.

"I definitely felt more comfortable and I gained self-confidence from that win," he explained. "There is no question the Irish Open is the fifth-biggest tournament in the world to me."

Colin Montgomerie, meanwhile, enters the Irish Open in his lowest position in the world rankings for nearly 18 years.

Unable to command a place in either last month's Masters or last week's Players Championship, Montgomerie is now down to 88th and fully aware he has to arrest his slide to have any real hope of a ninth Ryder Cup appearance in September.

The last time the 44-year-old Scot was ranked lower was October 1990 -- before the first of his appearances against the Americans or the first of his record eight European Order of Merit titles.

Two weeks ago, Montgomerie came back from a honeymoon and a five-week layoff to finish in 70th out of 75 who made the cut at the Spanish Open. Before departing, he was asked if he had felt rustier than he thought would be the case and if he was looking forward to showing some better form this week.

"Possibly," was his first answer, "hopefully" the second.

With his last top-10 stroke-play finish four months ago, he is not exactly brimming with confidence. But he did also say in Seville: "I'm not losing heart here. I'm not a million miles away. This is a first event just to get back into it."

It was only last November that Montgomerie and Marc Warren won the World Cup for Scotland in China -- and less than a year since a trip to Ireland brought him his last individual victory.

That was the European Open at the K Club, but he has an affection for the Irish Open, too. He triumphed in 1996, 1997 and 2001 to join Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Nick Faldo as a three-time winner.

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