Clarke failed to make it through US Open qualifying at Walton Heath on Monday and admitted afterwards: “The current state of my game is not good for the US Open any way, so it is maybe not such a bad thing.”

The Ulsterman is down to 94th in the world from 35th at the start of the year, has pulled out of three events because of a hamstring strain suffered playing football with his sons, has not made a halfway cut since early February and was already looking in danger of continuing that unwanted streak at Fontana Golf Club.

Starting from the 10th, Clarke three-putted the opening hole from long range, his first putt pulling up so far short it was still outside the approach of playing partner Westwood.

Westwood duly holed for birdie and lipped out for another from four feet on the 11th, where Clarke remarkably saved par from a cavernous greenside bunker almost 20ft below the level of the green.

Clarke narrowly missed for birdie on the next and had to watch as Westwood showed him how it was done from a near-identical place, and the 38-year-old then bogeyed the 13th and ran up a double bogey five on the 17th.

His first birdie of the day on the 18th was only good enough for an outward nine of 39, three over par, but it was Westwood who left the 18th green fuming at failing to make a birdie on the short par five, his second shot running through the green and up against the grandstand.

He was able to drop the ball without penalty in the drop zone but chipped eight feet past and missed the birdie attempt.

A bogey on the first was followed by birdies on the second and third and at four under par he was now two behind Hartlepool’s Graeme Storm, who holed from 15ft on the 18th for eagle and an outward half of 30, and Sweden’s Patrik Sjoland who had played 14 holes.

Defending champion Markus Brier was also three under after an outward half of 33.

Brier, who became the first Austrian to win on the European Tour with his three-shot victory here last year, was playing alongside Westwood and Clarke and picked up birdies at the 10th, 13th and 16th to delight a sizeable crowd - something becoming more common since his recent success.

“It’s been very exciting but quite difficult with so much attention in the media,” Brier said.

“Of course I understand the obligations with the media and I’ve enjoyed it but it makes me realise what Tiger Woods probably has to do every week.

“It’s not so common for me yet but I appreciate you probably have to learn when to say no to certain things and choose a bit. But it’s okay, I’ve had a good season so far (winning his second tour title in Shanghai in April) and it was a big thing to be recognised as the Tour’s golfer of the month.

“I missed the cut in Ireland but still made the front pages here because I was player of the month, which is good because it shows they appreciate the golf now.”