Clarke on track for Ryder success

Darren Clarke gave European Ryder Cup skipper Ian Woosnam a boost when he opened with a four-under-par 68 in the Madrid Open at La Moraleja.

The 38-year-old Ulsterman, who was making his first competitive appearance since the death of his wife Heather a month ago, fired five birdies and just one bogey to trail clubhouse leader Jean-Francois Lucquin of France by three shots.