Tiger test for Clarke
There will be no hiding place for Darren Clarke when the £5m (€7.3m) Players Championship starts in Florida on Thursday. He has been paired with Tiger Woods.
Clarke has travelled on from Orlando to Jacksonville boosted by a third-place finish in the Bay Hill Invitational, where on Saturday he equalled his lowest-ever round in America with a nine-under-par 63.
Woods, inevitably with one eye on the Masters when he competes in the event each year, was the winner at Sawgrass in 2001, but since then has not managed a top-10 finish.
Clarke’s best in eight previous starts was sixth three years ago. He has broken 70 on the demanding course just twice in 26 attempts and 12 months ago finished with a 79.
They are among the later starters on the pening day, not teeing off with Paraguay’s Carlos Franco until 12.33pm.
First of the 23 Europeans into action at 7.11am will be Ian Poulter, who probably cannot afford to finish any lower than third to climb into the world’s top 50 in time for the Masters at Augusta.
Luke Donald, runner-up to Fred Funk last year, partners Fred Couples and Scott Verplank at 1.04pm, while teeing off at the same time as Woods and Clarke, but on the other half of the course is Padraig Harrington, who finished second in both 2003 and 2004.
Greg Owen’s attempt to come straight back from the disappointment of coming second at Bay Hill after a double bogey, bogey finish will begin at 11.51am.
Stablemates Lee Westwood and Paul McGinley have been paired together late on, but there are earlier starts for Nick Faldo, David Howell, Brian Davis and Colin Montgomerie, back in an event he did not qualify for last year.
Although he has missed his last three halfway cuts Montgomerie was given a lift today by the words of American star Phil Mickelson – as was Owen.
On Montgomerie, the US PGA champion commented: “Colin had a very good chance at the British Open last year and as well as he drives it I think he’s going to have a very good chance at Winged Foot.”
That is where the US Open is being staged in June.
“I think he’ll have another great chance at the British Open this year (Hoylake hosts the event for the first time since 1967) and another great chance at the PGA,” said Mickelson.
“And I wouldn’t rule out the Masters, but I would say that would be the least of the four he would win.”
On Owen, Mickelson stated: “I hope that he wins and wins soon because he’s a quality player and he’s an incredibly nice guy.
“He is a great ball-striker – he led in fairways and greens last week. He just played superb, but unfortunately stuff like this happens. It happens to everybody.
“We all have putts that we’ve missed or shots we haven’t hit at the right times.”
Owen three-putted from three feet on the short 17th, then lipped out from 13 feet on the last.
Victory would have put him in the Masters, being second leaves him 53rd in the world and needing to climb three places this week for an Augusta debut.
