Clarke gives it the full monty

TWENTY-TWO year old Scot Matthew Clark yesterday demonstrated that Colin Montgomerie's "inland links" at Carton House in the heart of Co Kildare could be mastered.

He shot a four under par 68 in the opening round of the AIB Irish Open Amateur Championship

But he was one of only two players in a star-studded field 99 of the 120 strong entry boasted handicaps of scratch or better to break 70 on a relatively benign day.

Clark leads by three from the Finn, Roope Kakko and by four from Englishman David Horsey and Bandon teenager Kenny McGarry while a number of those boasting exalted handicaps must wish they had stayed away so embarrassingly high were some of the scores.

This was the case even though each of the tee markers were moved forward by approximately ten yards before play began.

In fairness, that still meant the course was playing to more than 7,000 yards with the greens running at ten on the stimpmeter.

Defending champion Noel Fox was moving very nicely when he arrived on the 18th on even par but a bunkered drive led to a succession of problems and ultimately a double bogey seven.

While a 74 is far from disastrous, the Walker Cup man feels he would be a lot nearer the top of the leaderboard were it not for a lengthy hold-up on "It took us 35 minutes to play the hole and I got cold and lost momentum," he claimed. It seems one of the perennial bugbears of the amateur game is alive and well.

The last match left the first tee at 1.57 and eventually arrived back in the clubhouse at 7.15.

Ironically, Clarke wouldn't be here at all were it not for the cancellation of the West of Scotland Championship. He decided to come to Ireland instead, his path cleared by the leave granted by his employers at the Lloyds TSB bank.

A member of the Old Ranfurly club near Paisley, he plays off a handicap of plus one although representative honours have eluded him so far. He got off to the ideal start with birdies at two of the first three holes and duly made it to the turn in 34.

He rattled in a 30-footer for a two at the 12th before finishing in style with a cracking three wood to just over a yard at the 513 yard 18th for a closing eagle three.

"It's a very tough and long course and difficult to keep a bogey off the card," he said. "I didn't quite manage it because of overclubbing at the 17th and going over the back but of course the eagle more than compensated. My friend Keith Hamilton had never been to Ireland before so we decided to come and it's been great fun, especially after this." Hamilton mightn't necessarily agree given that he shot 83.

Roope Kakko is bidding to become the second Finn to win a major championship in this country Mikko Ilonen, nowadays a member of the European Tour, captured the West of Ireland at Enniscrone in 1999 while one of the most meritorious performances of the day and one that leaves him nicely positioned on level par came from the Bandon 19 year-old Kenny McGarry.

He is competing in his first senior stroke play championship having concentrated up to now on boys and youths golf. Given that he plays off a handicap of plus two, it is difficult to understand why he hasn't represented Munster at either boys or youthslevel.

The relevant selection committees will surely sit up and take notice after this excellent performance that saw McGarry two under par through eight holes after birdies at the 2nd, 4th and 7th and a bogey at the 6th.

He had a great chance to go three under at the 9th but missed a birdie putt from around a yard while another gain at the 13th was offset by dropped shots at the 10th, 12th and 14th.

The leading 40 and ties after today's second round go through to the final 36 holes tomorrow.