Clarke serves notice with opening 68

CARNOUSTIE, widely regarded as one of the most difficult golf courses on the planet, didn’t really show its teeth on yesterday’s opening day of the €4m Dunhill Links Championship.

The draw dictated all six Irish players in the field were to play this largely unattractive piece of links yesterday.

But the weather was not as treacherous as the forecast had predicted, although a stiff wind swept the course and with the pro-am format making five-and-a-half hour rounds the order of the day, patience and forbearance were vital ingredients for the professionals hoping to get such a lucrative tournament off to a positive start.