Clarke leads at USPGA

Darren Clarke was in dazzling form at the start of the United States PGA championship today, taking the early lead at Whistling Straits.

On a Whistling Straits course he described on Monday as “brutally difficult”, Clarke incredibly birdied the first four holes.

Currently Clarke leads on five under after nine holes.

Clarke has made only one halfway cut in the event – but he holed-in-one in practice yesterday. Mind you, he did the same at the US Open in June – and two days later missed the cut.

In the chasing pack on two under was world number two Ernie Els after he birdied the 11th and 12th.

Tiger Woods, the man he is trying to topple, kicked off in style with a pitch to three feet on the 361-yard 10th – but followed it with a double-bogey seven and dropped another at the 12th to stand two over.