Bright start a tonic for slimline Clarke

Despite a mid-round mishap Darren Clarke has put his new slimmed-down frame into contention to end a more than two-year winless drought at the Valspar Championship in Tampa, Florida.

Clarke was a late entry into the US$5.7m event having driven down from Palm Beach Gardens on Tuesday and then only formally registering for the event just prior to teeing off in Wednesday afternoon’s Pro-Am.

The former British Open champion got his first look at the Copperhead course on Tuesday when he breezed around with caddy Andy Sutton in just two-and-a-half hours, before soaking in more than six-hours on the course in Wednesday’s Pro-Am.

Clarke commenced his round by landing a 109-yard wedge third shot at the downhill par-five first to 12 feet for birdie.

He gave that shot back with a bogey at the second before the highlight of his round at the par-four sixth hole where, after missing the fairway to the right, Clarke sent his second into rough left of the flag but then holed an 18-yard wedge shot for birdie.

Clarke moved into a share of the lead on three under par when he put a 133-yard second shot to just under two feet for a second straight birdie.

Clarke then holed a 20-footer for birdie at the 10th ahead of the low point of his round when he posted a double bogey in taking four shots to get down from just 20 yards at the 12th hole.

Pádraig Harrington ended his round in disappointing fashion with a bogey for a four-over-par 75 and his poorest score in 11 rounds at the Copperhead course.

It is also 14 shots more than the course record 61 Harrington posted on day one in his last Tampa appearance two years ago.

And Harrington’s post Pro-Am fear on Wednesday of having wasted all his birdies in shooting a six-under-par 65 came back to haunt him with the triple Major-winner managing just one birdie — and that was achieved by holing a 14-yard bunker shot at his penultimate hole, the par-three 17th.

“I just didn’t hole enough birdies today,” he confessed.

“It was just a tough day and I didn’t make anything happen and I did the opposite to what I did yesterday in the Pro-Am, and that’s what I was worried about.

“The good thing is that no one has run away this first day and the board is pretty bunched but I just need to make more birdies, more birdies.

“While it was nice to hole that bunker shot at the eighth, it was a poor finish dropping one at the last after a careless, careless chip.”

Korean-born New Zealander Danny Lee was the on-course leader having moved to four under par late in his round.

Meanwhile, EurAsia Cup captain Miguel Angel Jimenez has welcomed the appointment of Des Smyth as his vice-captain for the inaugural event commencing on March 27 in Malaysia.

It was Paul McGinley who had the big hand in arranging for Smyth to work under Jimenez ahead of Smyth acting as one of McGinley’s vice-captains for September’s Ryder Cup showdown at Gleneagles against the Americans.

“I have known Des a very long time and I am very happy he will be my vice-captain in Malaysia,” said Jimenez.

“The fact that Des and Sam Torrance are two of Paul’s vice-captains it is important for Des to get to know this new wave of players competing in Europe.

“So it is going to good for Des and for Paul that Des will be my vice-captain.”