Clarke's relief

Darren Clarke spoke tonight about his concern for the wife of US Open runner-up Stephen Leaney – after he struck her on the head in the first round of the Smurfit European Open at the K Club near Dublin.

The Ulsterman’s drive came off a tree and sent Tracey Leaney onto the ground. It was not until two hours later that she was released to go back to her hotel by medical staff.

“She’s six months pregnant as well, so it wasn’t a nice moment,” said Clarke. “It’s always horrible hitting anybody and when we were walking up there to see her lying on the ground it is terrible.

“You don’t know how badly injured she is, but thankfully it was that bad a shot that it managed to hit a tree before it hit her head.

“It’s horrible for everybody. I shouldn’t have hit the ball over there, but unfortunately people do get hit every now and then.

“The last woman I hit on the golf course was Barbara Nicklaus (Jack’s wife) in the Open championship at Royal St George’s in 1993. My record is not very good. But she was okay as well.”

Leaney’s wife was seen on the course by Dr Roger Hawkes, the European tour’s medical consultant. She had sustained a small cut and was not knocked out or concussed.

She then went to the on-site medical unit for a period of observation.

Clarke said it was around three holes before he could focus properly again, but almost bizarrely he had a hat-trick of birdies in that time and finished the day one behind leaders Phillip Price, Alastair Forsyth and Retief Goosen.