Golf-Europe's Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke

LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Factbox on Darren Clarke who was on Wednesday named Europe's captain for the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National in Minnesota: Born August 14, 1968 in Dungannon, Northern Ireland. EARLY CAREER Turned professional in 1990, securing his first win in 1993 at the Alfred Dunhill Open and then finishing tied for second place at the 1997 British Open. Racked up eight victories from 1998-2003, including two WGC events and the English Open three times. Failed to record another victory until 2008 while his wife Heather battled cancer; she died in 2006. Had to wait until 2011 for another first-place finish when he triumphed at the Iberdrola Open in May. MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH Clarke won his first major title, aged 42, at the 2011 British Open at Royal St George's in Sandwich where he beat five-times major champion Phil Mickelson and fellow American Dustin Johnson by three strokes. After winning the British Open, Clarke struggled to recapture his best form and dropped outside the world's top 400. RYDER CUPS Competed in five consecutive Ryder Cups from 1997-2006, finishing on the winning side four times. Three weeks after his wife died, Clarke was picked as a wild card for the 2006 Ryder Cup. He won all three of his matches, helping Europe to an 18-1/2-9-1/2 victory over the U.S. Has twice been Europe'a vice-captain, when they won in 2010 and 2012, with Colin Montgomerie at Celtic Manor and then under Jose Maria Olazabal at Medinha when Europe came from 10-4 down to claim a remarkable 14-1/2-13-1/2 triumph on the final day. (Reporting by Michael Hann; editing by Ken Ferris)