Clarke’s form just what doctor ordered

A RENEWAL of acquaintances with Dr Bob Rotella and a return to home comforts were the ingredients behind Darren Clarke’s best British Open round in six years.

Clarke, whose runner-up finish at Troon in 1997 was one of three top-10 finishes in the championship, opened his 2011 campaign with a two-under-par 68 at Royal St George’s yesterday that leaves him three shots behind overnight leaders Thomas Bjorn and amateur Tom Lewis heading into today’s second round.

It was between the ears that Clarke, 42, received his biggest boost this week ahead of his five-birdie, three-bogey round with a pre-tournament consultation with sports psychologist Rotella.

“I played very nicely. I hit the ball solidly all day. Most of the time I was in control. How many bogeys did I make? Two, I think, and both of them I drove in the fairway bunkers, which weren’t that great a shot, but the fairway bunkers are very, very penal. But overall played nicely.

“Been lucky this week, seen an old friend of mine, Bob Rotella who’s here this week, I haven’t seen him for quite some time and was able to catch up with him because my ball striking and tee to green stuff has been very good, very solid, but the putter has been cold of late, but today it was very good.”

Clarke refused to divulge what Rotella had told him specifically, save to say: “We’ve worked together for a long time. The Open is the biggest and best tournament in the world. That’s what I’ve said. It’s the only major that’s played on the turf that the game was started on, and it’s the biggest and best tournament in the world.”

Yesterday’s round puts him in a group that includes fellow Portrush resident Graeme McDowell and Clarke’s decision to move to the Antrim coast after more than a decade in London has clearly had a positive effect on his resurgent form on links such as this one.

“I moved back home to Portrush last summer, so I’m playing all my golf at Royal Portrush now. That’s where I’m practising playing. After having lived in London for 13 years, I wasn’t playing as much links golf as I would have liked, but now that I’m back there that’s what I’m playing, so I feel very comfortable with it.”

McDowell was not feeling so comfortable after a horrendous start to his opening round that saw the 2010 US Open champion double bogey the first and bogey the fifth before turning his chances around with six birdies and just one bogey, two of the birdies coming at the 17th and 18th.

“I just got off to a horrible start,” McDowell said. “Three days’ perfect preparation, nice warm-up this morning, walk onto the first tee and just put one of the worst swings of the week on it.

“My second shot, all I could do was hit it over the back and I just pulled a horrible lie... pure sand back there. I make double, walk to the second tee wondering what the hell happened.

“But I managed to hang in there and made a great putt on the second which really settled me down. We got really lucky with the draw, the wind laid down and I had a chance to make a score on the back nine. Which I did.”

Two-time champion Pádraig Harrington was less satisfied with his opening 73, a two-over round that began bogey, bogey, birdie and then featured two birdies, two bogies and a double bogey to leave him eight shots off the pace.

“Just one of those days really,” Harrington said. “Missed a few greens and I didn’t chip it very well, which is a pity.

“What am I, eight behind? There’s still 54 holes to go so you don’t have to do it all in one day.”