Darren Clarke frustrated by form ahead of Italian Open

Darren Clarke admits he's looking to find consistency in his game again after a recent slump in form, starting at this week's Italian Open.

The Northern Irishman has missed the cut in 10 of his 18 starts this season, most recently making an early exit from last week's KLM Open after posting back-to-back 71s at Kennemer Golf and Country Club.

Clarke is now without a top-10 finish on the European Tour since winning the Open Championship in 2011, although has shown signs of progress during various points of the season including in July's BMW International Open. 

The 47-year-old has been juggling his playing commitments with his roles as Europe's Ryder Cup captain, but refuses to blame his added responsibility for his poor form. 

"I've had a little more bad and good," Clarke told the European Tour on Wednesday. "I'm just very, very inconsistent.

Live European Tour Golf

"I've got a lot of the things going on at the moment with the Ryder Cup, but that's no excuse for playing the way I want to. I'll keep trying.

"It's getting very, very busy over the next year and it makes me even more frustrated when I don't play how I want to, but that's the way it is. My priority now is the Ryder Cup, nothing else.

"It's always great to be back here in Italy. We've had a lot of rain over the past four or five days, so the course is going to be very, very wet."

Martin Kaymer once again features after his early exit from the FedExCup, with recent European Tour winners Danny Willett and Bernd Wiesberger also in action in a strong field in Milan. 

Marco Crespi and Francesco Molinari lead the home interest in this week's field, with Molinari looking for a strong showing in what is his first start since last month's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. 

"It's always exciting to play in front of your home crowd," Molinari said. "I'm coming from a period of rest and training, which is different to the past few years so I'm looking forward to it.

"I had a couple of weeks off when my second child was born, so after that it was about getting back hitting balls and getting back in to the feeling of controlling it.

"Obviously you get some question marks after a bit of  time off, but preparation has been going well and I've worked hard over the past two weeks to get ready."

Watch the Italian Open live throughout the week on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.