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 Clark has played in just two PGA Tour events since then, and was
forced to withdraw from last week's British Open at St Andrews in
Scotland due to visa problems.
Canada, however, has always been a welcome sanctuary for a golfer
whose wife hails from Toronto and he is delighted to be at Glen
Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario this week after winning last
year's Canadian Open at Royal Montreal.
"I was extremely proud of my win last year," Clark, 39, told
reporters while preparing for Thursday's opening round. "Winning in
different countries means a lot to me as a player, so that was
definitely special.
"Not often do you have the opportunity of coming back and defending
any sort of title, so this will be a fun week. I take pride in
winning a national championship like this.
"I've been fortunate to win the Australian Open and the Scottish
Open, the South African Open and also here, so I'm just missing a
couple big ones," he grinned, in reference to the two majors -- the
British Open and U.S. Open.
Clark had major elbow surgery in 2011 which sidelined him for most
of that season, so he has been encouraged by a much earlier return
to action this year after having a similar procedure in February to
repair a torn tendon.
"This time I've only missed five months, so I feel like I've been
able to find my game a lot quicker," said the South African, a
double champion on the PGA Tour.
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"Although the (left) arm doesn't feel a hundred percent right now, I
know that the right one feels great, so it's just a matter of time
before it (the left) feels good. This is my third tournament back
and my game feels pretty good."
Clark, who clinched last year's Canadian Open by one shot over
veteran Jim Furyk, faces a strong field that includes three players
in the world's top 10 – third-ranked Bubba Watson, Furyk (seventh)
and Jason Day (ninth).
A notable absentee will be American Brandt Snedeker, the 2013
champion at Glen Abbey, who has been sidelined by a hip injury.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene
Cherry)
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