Putting sparks Clarke recovery
A shank on your second shot of the day is a pretty scary way to start a round of golf.
But Darren Clarke did not press the self-destruct button when it happened to him in the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond today.
Far from it – 63 more shots later he was in the clubhouse on 10 under par and in the hunt for an 11th European tour title.
Playing partner Colin Montgomerie, round in 69 for five under, then had no difficulty pinpointing the part of his Ryder Cup team-mate’s game that got him there.
“If Darren Clarke putts the way he did today this tournament is his – and he will do very well next week too,” commented Montgomerie. Next week, of course, is the Open at St Andrews.
“Twenty-two putts is absolutely phenomenal. He didn’t look like he was going to miss.”
Clarke returned – and returned with a fourth place finish – only last week from a month at home helping his wife Heather in her battle with cancer and heart trouble.
“I didn’t have much time to work on my putting and it had gone off somewhat, but my putting coach Stan Utley is over this week from America,” he said. “I’m delighted.”
Despite four closing birdies he was not delighted with the rest of his game, though, and the hard afternoon’s graft on the practice range followed.
That opening hole shank – off a hanging lie in the rough, to be fair – was not his first in competition.
He had one on the same course last year and missed the cut because of it, another in the Open and then a spectacular one in the US PGA, captured in slow motion for all to see.
As the second round neared its conclusion, Clarke was in joint second place with Scot Alastair Forsyth and Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, two behind Maarten Lafeber.
The 30-year-old Dutchman had his lowest round on tour, an eight under 63, as he stepped up his bid not just to win the £400,000 first prize, but also to grab the Open championship place on offer.
“You see how strong a field this is it would be a great step in my career,” stated Lafeber, whose only victory came in the 2003 Dutch Open and who currently stands 139th on the world rankings.
He and his playing partner Simon Dyson (64) had an incredible better-ball of 57.
Forsyth’s one success came in the 2002 Malaysian Open when he did not even hold a tour card, but the 29-year-old from Paisley has finished 19th and 33rd on the Order of Merit since then.
He was also round in 64 – nine birdies and two bogeys – but not wanting to pile on the pressure in his national championship he said: “The way things have been going this year it’s just as likely I could shoot 77 tomorrow.
“I’ll be happy if I can put another two solid rounds on the books. When my game is good I can prove that I can compete against the best. It’s doing it over four rounds.”
Phil Mickelson is one of the best, of course, but reached halfway only on three under after a disappointing 72 in the perfect conditions.
“It was a great day to go low and I just didn’t do it,” said the world number four.
Retief Goosen, one place below him in the rankings, is only one better off, while Ernie Els, one place above him, was also on four under with five holes to play.
Cabrera, who shared the first round lead with England’s Stuart Little, had played 13 holes as well.
Little was six under after eight and Lee Westwood nine under after 14.
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