It’s now just 85 days before Darren Clarke defends his Open Championship and nothing would please the newly remarried Irishman more than to finally draw upon that winning form in this week’s Ballantine’s Championship.

Clarke, like Australia’s Adam Scott, is making his debut in the event being played on the Blackstone course at Icheon near the South Korean capital of Seoul.

Clarke has endured a terrible run of form since being handed the Claret Jug with his best finish being 20th earlier this year in the Volvo Champions event in South Africa.

Darren Clarke with the Claret Jug ahead of his debut in the Ballantine's Championship. (Photo - www.europeantour.com)

However he arrived in Seoul carrying the fame Claret Jug that took pride of place at a spectacular Ballantine’s Championship gala dinner staged on Tuesday night and will look to draw on memories of his Royal St. George’s victory.

“I must admit that the Gala Dinner went really well last night,” he said.

“I had the Claret Jug there last night and there were a lot of pictures taken with it. It’s certainly a privilege for me to bring it with me most places where I go.”

Clarke enjoyed another memorable celebration earlier this month when he married his fiancée Alison Campbell, the former Miss Northern Ireland, at a beach ceremony in the Bahamas, attended by Clarke’s sons Tyrone and Conor, close friends and family and Clarke’s manager Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler.

“It has been a special couple of weeks, that’s for certain, and it was good to have the opportunity to have a little break and get married again,”  he said. 

“I feel very lucky, but it is back to work again now and I’ll be trying to get back into my golf again.”

Clarke is no stranger to winning in Asia including back-to-back wins in the 2004 and 2005 Taiheiyo Masters in Japan and victory in the 2008 BMW Asian Open in China.

“It is my first time here, I have not played the course before, but obviously heard a lot of good things from the tournament and about the golf course from other players,” he said.

“It’s another good field again and because of that there are a lot of World Ranking points on offer. As a result, I’m sure it will be another great week.”