Clarke happy with Gleneagles

It was a very different Darren Clarke who spoke about Gleneagles yesterday to the one who five years ago lashed into the course chosen for the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Before playing the pro-am on the eve of the Johnnie Walker Championship Clarke commented: “I’ve heard all about the changes they have done. I haven’t played all of them yet, but the ones that I saw yesterday certainly were massive improvements. With this whole sub-air system that they have put in, it will suck the moisture out of the greens and they will be much, much better.”

After a first-round 73 in 2007 the Irishman tore into the PGA Centenary Course, the lay-out selected for the first Ryder Cup in Scotland since 1973.