A bout of influenza should have confined Darren Clarke either to bed or to the lower echelons of the scoreboard in yesterday's first round of the One-two-One British Masters in England.

However, the well-used adage "beware the sick golfer" is not well-used for nothing.

Despite a throbbing head, sore throat and walking on legs "`like lead" Clarke took another step towards becoming European number one by mastering not only his illness, but a course made obviously more difficult, and awful weather to boot.

A splendid five-under-par 67 achieved in the morning in spite of his influenza, a howling gale and lashing rain, earned him a onestroke advantage over the Swiss Paolo Quirici, who needed a hole-inone to get anywhere near the Ulsterman in the afternoon.

Clarke's determined showing left him favourite again to sit atop Europe's money list on Sunday night. Particularly as his chief rival for the title this year, Lee Westwood, trails him by six shots after a 73. And the man who is fast losing touch with the top two, Colin Montgomerie, is three shots adrift, even though he does appear to have come through his leanest spell for seven years.

Said Clarke: "I started with the flu on Tuesday and it's got progressively worse. I had a good dose of Night Nurse last night and that put me to sleep but I'm still feeling terrible. I'm taking paracetamol, nurofen, whatever I can get. I'm a walking chemist.

"But it seemed to help my golf today, actually worked for me. I didn't hit the ball as hard as usual and I just walked very slowly round the course. Not swinging very hard helped my timing.

"A 67 feels pretty good. I hit a lot of real quality shots out there, maybe only a few poor ones. That's paid off because I've played well in the past here but I can't remember it as tough as this. Holes like the 16th are designed to be hit with a sandiron and today in the wind it was five-iron."

His mid-irons earned him four birdies in five holes at the start of his round, to show how his all-round game is in shape. Yesterday he stressed it was his work on his shortgame that had reaped rewards this year and got him where he is.

There is great camaraderie between Clarke and Westwood even if they are locked in battle for the European title this year, both determined to be the next name on the Harry Vardon Trophy after the five of Montgomerie.

Yesterday Clarke intimated that all's love and fair in war when it comes to stablemates and friends as he divulged: "I played nine holes with Lee on Tuesday and he's still got what it takes. You only have to look at his record.

"He's played unbelievable. And he's not doing anything different to when he was winning. Everybody goes through peaks and troughs and maybe it's just because his luck's not as good as it's been.

"If I saw something he was doing wrong I'd tell him anyway. We both work with the same coach, Pete Cowen, and we both know what we're trying to do. For instance, we were trying out new three-woods on Tuesday, you know what we're like with our new toys. But I told him to `put that thing away' because he already hits his own three-wood too good. We help each other out and drive each other on."

Clarke will easily outdo the Englishman at this pace and will perhaps need to. He will play one less event of the five tournaments left.

Colin Montgomerie, in third place on the money list, admitted that his golf has become better but that he is still struggling with form.

"It's hard work right now, but hopefully it won't say that for much longer," he said. "The game has never been complicated before and I want to get back to where it's not. I came home in 33 but it wasn't because I played very well. It was because I holed putts and got up and down.

"I duck-hooked one drive and I let another shot go way right. I want to get my mind back to concentrating on course management rather than my swing."

"I got to number two in the world (two years ago) and if you get to number two at anything you want to get to number one.

"I felt I needed to improve and I probably didn't actually. I just had to hole a few more putts at the right time."

For the rest of the Irish it was a poor day and if there is not an uplift in form today, Clarke may be the only Irishman left at the Forest of Arden. Padraig Harrington ran up a double-bogey and two bogeys in 40 shots coming in for a 74. Paul McGinley was disgusted with his return to the tour in his first event to count for Ryder Cup points. Partner Sam Torrance - sharing third place with a 69 - outshot him by seven as he carded 76. David Higgins has work to do after a 75, while Raymond Burns shot a 77.