“I have had a very poor year,” Clarke said. “We all play to win and I have not won anywhere, so that has been very, very frustrating. I have worked on a lot of different aspects this year, both fitness and swing-wise, and so far it has not quite all come together at the same time.”

Making his first appearance in Atlanta, Clarke has taken a liking to the course.

“There are no trees in the middle of the fairways here,” Clarke said.

“I liked it straight away. Everything is in front of you. It’s tough, but very, very fair. I hit a lot of good shots close and had a nice day, making good putts that I had to make, apart from 15, where I missed a four-footer. I look forward to playing the same way the rest of the week, hopefully.”

Clarke, Haas and Kelly are one shot ahead of David Toms and Zach Johnson on a day that started wet before giving way to sunshine and a cool breeze.

Vijay Singh used a steady round to pull within two strokes of the lead. The world’s top-ranked player who is seeking his 10th victory of the year, Singh carded a respectable one-under-par 69, tied for sixth in an elite field.

If Singh wins this event, he will become just the fourth player to record at least 10 victories in a season on the PGA Tour, joining greats Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead.

In his first competition since getting married, Tiger Woods managed to hit less than one-third of fairways as he struggled to a 72.

Ernie Els also battled to a 72. The South African had to putt the final two holes with a wedge after bending his putter.