Golf Nedbank Challenge: A late-afternoon lesson from Gary Player spurred Darren Clarke to his best performance at the Nedbank Challenge, a magnificent 66, just one shot off leaders Kenny Perry and Vijay Singh.
The tips that Player, the course designer, provided - especially on how to play the short game - heralded a magnificent turnaround for Clarke and put him in the frame for the huge winner's cheque of just over €1 million.
A solid 34 on the front nine opened things up for the Ulsterman, but he sneaked in almost unnoticed as most of the spectators were keeping an eye on defending champion Ernie Els, who shot a disappointing 72, or on the Perry and Singh show, with both rattling in the birdies.
Clarke struggled in Wednesday's pro-am with his short game, and afterwards he asked Player for advice. What he got helped him click into gear in round one and could ultimately lead him to glory this weekend.
"I got a fantastic lesson out there on Wednesday in the bunker from Gary Player on how to play the course," said Clarke.
"For 15 minutes, he gave me a lesson on how to chip out of the kikuyu (grass). You probably wouldn't have thought it on 10 (where the Ulsterman made a poor effort), but he did, and a couple of things just clicked here today, even into the main swing."
Clarke started his round with a birdie on the fourth after a six-iron which landed within 15 feet.
That club proved the tonic again on the sixth with an approach shot which also landed 15 feet shy and was finished off for birdie.
But it was Clarke's shot on 10 that got the crowds talking and really sparked his round.
Having found the kikuyu on the fringe of the green some 25 feet from the hole, he fluffed a tricky shot leaving his ball in the same place.
He responded by clipping his next effort straight into the hole for a magnificent birdie. By Clarke's admission, though, he could not even see the ball on the first chip.
"I just couldn't see it - I had a full swing at it and didn't move it.
"I had another swing at it, and I holed it. I just cleared the path so that I could get the club head on it the second time."
The only sour point for Clarke was his view that the organisers should have invited more Europeans to play. Fifteen of the 18 players competing in the invitation-only field are from the Presidents Cup, leaving just three spots for Europe, which according to Clarke simply is not enough.
"I am very disappointed that there are not more Europeans in this field. The Europeans have supported this tournament for a long time, and the difference between 18 and 20 players, with two more Europeans, doesn't seem that much to me," he added.
The other Europeans had mixed results today - Padraig Harrington shot 72 while Sergio Garcia fared better with a 68.
(US unless stated; par 72)
65 - Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh (Fij)
66 - Chris Dimarco, Adam Scott (Aus), Darren Clarke (Irl), Robert Allenby (Aus)
67 - Stuart Appleby (Aus), Jerry Kelly
68 - Sergio Garcia (Spa), Tim Clark (Rsa), Stephen Leaney (Aus)
69 - Nick Price (Zim)
70 - Retief Goosen (Rsa), Jay Haas
71 - Fred Funk
72 - Padraig Harrington (Irl), Ernie Els (Rsa)
73 - Charles Howell
