In-form Clarke races to four stroke lead

If not robotic, it was darn close. But Darren Clarke is accustomed to clicking into a mode where the game, at least to observers, looks unbelievably easy. And, indeed, when he is good, he really is very, very good - and the rest of the field in the Smurfit Irish PGA Championship at The Island can bear testimony to that!

Yesterday, in typical links conditions with bone-hard fairways and enough wind for it to be a factor, the Ulsterman turned on one of those performances that merely serves to leave watchers shaking their heads in admiration as much as disbelief.

A second round 63, which incredibly featured a double bogey amongst a litter of eight birdies and an eagle, gave him a midway total of eight-under-par 133 and a four stroke lead over his closest pursuers, Des Smyth and Neil Manchip.

"I just kept doing what I've been doing of late," remarked Clarke, "but I'd never say that this game gets easy. It's just the way I've been playing of late." Yet, there was considerable contentment with his display, even if the round didn't count as a new course record because of the decision to move forward by almost 30 yards the tee-box at the Par five 15th, thus altering the course.

But Clarke wasn't complaining. "I think it's great, to be honest," he said. "I think it is fantastic that we get the chance to play the course different ways during the week." His mood was bolstered by the eagle three he recorded at that 15th hole - "moving it forward certainly helped me," he quipped - where he followed up his big drive with a three-wood approach to 15 feet and required just the single putt.

Having started the day four shots behind his playing partner Manchip, Clarke, who started on the 10th, had closed the gap by the turn. The only blemish was a double-bogey six at the 17th, his eighth, where got "too cute" with an attempted recovery chip from off the green but three birdies and an eagle more than offset that misdemeanour.

Although Clarke holds a four shot lead, there were also some impressive performances from those in contention. Smyth, chasing his sixth Irish PGA, played some fine golf in a 68 - which included four birdies and a single bogey.

Eamonn Darcy also made a move with a 66 that enabled him to improve by seven shots on his first round effort. "I resurrected a putter from the archives," was the way he put it, but it worked so well that he intends to keep it in his bag.