Darren Clarke was walking up the sixth fairway at two under par, when his caddie, Billy Foster, turned to him and remarked: "Tiger's off again." Through gritted teeth, the Tyroneman muttered "Thanks a lot" before going on to card an admirable 66 in the opening round of the WCG/NEC Invitational at Firestone yesterday.
It was Clarke's best performance after two previous visits to this parkland stretch which places a premium on long, accurate driving down fairways flanked by trees. And, predictably, he drove the ball well, considerably better than last year when he finished a disappointing 36th.
"It's a great help to be returning to a course I've already played," he went on. "Among other things, I found that I putted far better than on previous visits when I tended to struggle on the greens." Most players were prepared to acknowledge, however, that midweek rain took much of the fire out severely sloping surfaces.
In the company of Canadian left-hander Mike Weir, Clarke got off to a highly encouraging start when reducing the 497-yard second to a drive, three-wood and two putts from 20 feet. He also birdied the third, where he holed an eight-footer, which was indicative of good feel with the blade.
His only bogey of the round came at the 219-yard seventh where he was short, right of the green with a four-iron tee shot. But he immediately recovered the stroke with a birdie at the next, where a 15-footer found the target.
Then, on the homeward journey, he birdied the 14th from six feet and displayed fine course management on the 392-yard 17th where a three-wood off the tee was followed by a nine-iron to three feet. Generally, it was an impressive performance by a player who appeared to have maintained the momentum of a closing 67 at Valhalla last Sunday for a share of ninth place in the USPGA Championship. Meanwhile, Padraig Harrington is determined to soldier on despite continuing problems with his neck and left shoulder. "It will allow me to work on my game in a competitive situation," he said after a 76 which contained only one birdie - at the long second which was comfortably reachable in two.
"My goal at this stage is not to finish last," he added with a wry smile, knowing that he was already at the tail of the 37-man field. Then, in a reference to Australian chiropractor Dale Richardson who has been working on him since his arrival at Valhalla, he said: ["]Basically I'm staying on because Dale in here."
He went on to explain: "While continuing the manipulative treatment, I can work on my short game and try to improve my levels of concentration. The shoulder is OK but there is a slight bump on a disc in my neck."
Paul McGinley, making his debut in the event, was furious with himself for all the birdie chances he had squandered in a disappointing 71: "I hit 14 greens in regulation but took 34 putts."
His frustration was, no doubt, heightened by playing alongside Ernie Els who shot a comfortable 67. Like Harrington, the only birdie of McGinley's round was at the long second, which he reached with a three-wood and two-putted from 15 feet. There were two bogeys on his card - atthe first and 10th where he drove into rough in each instance.
