Solid start for Clarke
He was going well at two under with six to play, but then bogeyed the next two.
However, he rolled in a 25-foot putt on 17 for birdie and then managed to par the last after getting up and down from the sand.
Padraig Harrington gave what he described as a "battling" performance for a round of 71.
Sergio Garcia, a lowly 103rd on the US Tour money list this season, gave a flawless display to lead the star-studded field.
The 23-year-old had a five under par 65 at the colourfully-named Capital City Club Crabapple for a one-stroke advantage over Americans Tim Herron and Rocco Mediate as others, Colin Montgomerie and Justin Rose among them, struggled.
Garcia, who has dropped from fourth in the world to 20th while making swing changes, will not be carried away by his start, however.
He was second after an opening 69 in the Masters in April and finished 28th, then led the NEC Invitational with a 64 in August and dropped to 30th. But to keep a bogey off his card on one of the toughest tests of the season should give his confidence a huge boost.
Out-scoring playing partner Retief Goosen by eight the European Ryder Cup star had birdies at the second, sixth and ninth to turn in 32, pitched to 10 feet on the long 12th and then holed from slightly longer at the 470-yard 17th.
Darren Clarke also birdied there and the Dungannon man, who won his second world title in Akron in August, then got up and down superbly from sand at the last for a tidy 69. It left him in joint eighth place.
Ignacio Garrido could have made it a Spanish one-two at the top, but standing four under on the final tee he double-bogeyed it, missing the fairway and then three-putting.
That came just after Tiger Woods had produced the largest cheer of the day from a disappointingly small crowd nothing like the numbers that watched the event at Mount Juliet last year and will do so again there next season.
Defending champion Woods, having just made a 40-footer on the short 15th, finished with a 30-foot putt for another birdie and a three under 67 and joint fourth place.
Down in a lowly 148th place in fairways hit on the US Tour this season the world No 1 went off in search of a remedy during his month-long lay-off and hopes he has found it with his new Nike prototype driver.
It did not totally behave itself in terms of accuracy, but no fewer than 11 of his blows were measured in excess of 300 yards and that allowed him to get away with some of his waywardness.
His first bogey did not come until the 17th, but the response on the next made lunch taste a whole lot better.
Woods said of his closing putt: "It went in pretty hard. I would have had an eight-footer or so coming back.
"I hit the driver great and it was nice to see a high draw back. I'm five to seven yards longer with it as well."
Montgomerie also birdied the last, his approach hitting the pin and rebounding 15 feet, but for the 40-year-old Scot it meant a four over 74 and he commented: "It was a hard day. Unfortunately I didn't drive the ball well over the front nine, but drove it better coming in. You must finish on the fairway and I didn't for the first nine holes. I did well to come back and a 74 is better than 75."
He has made 12 early exits from tournaments this season the same as in his seven-year reign as European No 1.
Rose triple-bogeyed the short 15th in his 75, going over the green from sand and then fluffing a chip.
Clarke was much happier naturally, but said: "I had a lot of opportunities and wasted two or three shots. But it's tough and 69 is OK the wind was swirling and that made it difficult to pick the right club."
Phillip Price was happy to be around in level par 70, while Scot Alastair Forsyth and Londoner Brian Davis returned 71 and Ian Poulter had to settle for a 73.
European Order of Merit leader Ernie Els four-putted from only 15 feet on the fifth for a double bogey six, but finished with a 71.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
