It was dejavu '97 yesterday for Darren Clarke and Jesper Parnevik, but instead of the links of Royal Troon, last year's British Open pair were finely matched in the Scandinavian Masters at Kungsangen. At the end of the first round, however, they had to take a back seat and third place, two shots behind Swedish amateur dark horse Anders Hultman, who can boast a victory over Justin Rose two years ago, and England's Brian Davis.
But Clarke, riding his luck with a little outrageous fortune towards the end of his round, came straight back out of the blocks after last week's closing 63 in Holland to throw down the gauntlet with his Troon running-mate Parnevik.
This time it was a four-under-par 67, a less than convincing effort than his awesome course-record-equalling effort of last Sunday, but one that proved to him that he is capable nearly at will of shooting well now, even if the game is not fully ticking over.
The wooded and water-laced, seriously dog-legged course is a tough test of golf as many in blue, over-par, figures would confirm yesterday.
Clarke wrung the best out of it, living on his wits to leave him observing after an eagle - a tremendous crack to just three feet with a six-iron on the long fifth - and four birdies to follow up on two early bogeys: "My timing was not great. But I'm scoring so well when I'm not playing that well, it's a great consolation."
That was sharply brought into focus on the short par-four 15th. Choosing a mere eight-iron at the 295-yard hole, his safety-first shot still landed him where wild boar roamed not all that long ago. His ball was buried deep among rocks and rotting tree-stumps but help was at hand in the shape of the European Tour's `local rule' regarding plugged lies - and his own beefy frame. Explained Clarke: "The rule says we can lift and free-drop with a plugged lie through the green so I took my drop. The rule's there because it's not fair if you get a plug just a couple of yards from the fairway or green in wet ground. You have to take the rough with the smooth, so I took advantage of the rule.
"The ball then rolled down into more stones and stumps but I used brute force to get it about 125 yards with a wedge, close to the green."
He nearly did himself an injury forcing out his ball, but par ensued and he sealed his good fortune by making his own luck straight away, following up with two birdies to finish.
Paul McGinley did even better to nearly get back to terms with his rivals for a Dunhill Cup place with Clarke. McGinley three times recovered brilliantly last week and yesterday threw in two late birdies and an eagle on the last for a 73.
That kept him only a stroke behind Padraig Harrington, who is soldiering on with a badly cricked neck, and Philip Walton, who hit back from an early double-bogey when he used up two bunkers for his 72.
Des Smyth used up two strokes on one shot for his 71, confessing to a double-hit to triple-bogey the 18th. He was outshot by one by Eamonn Darcy but Raymond Burns's woe just goes on and on. His 81 left him 10-over-par and at 148th on the rankings he has a real scrap on now to retain his tour card.
One of the joint leaders, Hultman, looks forward to a rosy future. He again outdid Justin Rose after beating the Englishman two years ago in the European Amateur Matchplay, and even matched the young Englishman for acclaim in the end. While Rose was given 18 pink roses to celebrate his 18th birthday after coming back from a blushing start of three bogeys in four holes, 19-year-old Hultman had his name chanted by a crowd of excited youngsters.
