Clarke comeback continues

Another sign that Darren Clarke is on the way up again came this morning when he took the early lead in the Portuguese Open at Oitavos Dunes.

The Ulsterman, whose slide down the rankings means that next week he misses his first Masters since his debut 10 years ago, birdied two of his first three holes for a one-stroke lead over a group which included England’s Oliver Fisher, the 19-year-old who lost a play-off for the Andalucian Open in Spain on Sunday.