Aggressive approach suits Clarke

Darren Clarke decided to go on the attack in Seattle today – and was left wishing he had done it ages ago.

Whereas Tiger Woods used his driver only once on the tree-lined Sahalee Country Club and shot a three-under-par 68, Clarke used his “nearly everywhere” and began the £3.5million NEC world championship only a stroke off the lead.

The Ulsterman’s five-under 66 left him joint third alongside Phil Mickelson and Davis Love, just behind the pacesetting duo of South African Retief Goosen and Japan’s Toshimitsu Izawa.

“I had a good think after seeing Rich Beem win the US PGA last week going for it and changed my attitude,” said Clarke, who started with four straight birdies and finished with two more.

“A lot of guys tend to play the way Tiger plays and I got sucked into it as well. He’s fantastic at it and it’s why he’s the world No 1, but I hate laying up 100 yards short of greens at par fives and I’ve decided I might as well have a go.”

Despite the big toe of his left foot throbbing after he dropped a suitcase on it on Sunday and lost half the nail, Clarke was not put off his stride at all after putting a new driver and new set of irons in his bag.

And it was not only his own form which brought a smile on his face.

Stablemate and likely Ryder Cup partner Lee Westwood had four birdies in his first seven holes himself and finished well in the hunt alongside Woods.

``It's been difficult to know what to say to Lee at times, but a lot of friends have said a lot of things to try to give him his spark back,'' added Clarke.

“It was good to see him posting some good numbers. He was struggling again in practice, but he clearly got it together again.”

Westwood experienced a feeling he has not had for a long, long time today by leading early on.

The former European No 1, who in the last 15 months has slumped from fourth in the world to his current 144th, went to the turn in 32.

And although he then bogeyed the next two holes, coming back for a 68 represented a big step in the right direction with the Ryder Cup now only a month away.

“Nobody likes playing poorly and I want to take a decent game to The Belfry,” said Westwood. “I’m very excited about it. I’m learning more about my swing all the time and I’m trying to get my feel back and not be too mechanical.

“This is another positive step towards getting my game together again. I don’t think you lose your ability to play once you’ve reached a high level.”

Only a week ago Westwood had a season’s worst 82 to miss the halfway cut in the United States PGA championship.

He looked further away than ever from ending a winless spell which stretches all the way back to the Cisco World Match Play championship at Wentworth in October 2000.

But a 12-foot birdie putt on his opening green today – actually the 401-yard 10th – was just the pick-me-up he was looking for and although he three-putted the 544-yard 11th for par the fact that he was on the green in two was encouraging too.

Westwood then holed from 12 feet at the 12th, 15 feet at the 14th and nine feet two holes later.