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.

Clarke is now 240th in the world but ended 2007 with a third-place finish in the South African Open and has had a fourth and a 10th this year already.

Fisher led by three with six to play four days ago and was still two in front on the short 17th at Aloha near Marbella.

However, French Ryder Cup player Thomas Levet birdied the hole and on the last the Essex youngster’s three-iron tee shot caught the wind and found the water that cuts into the fairway at 270 yards.

He bogeyed, then took five again to lose the play-off, but had to wait only three holes today for his first birdie.

It actually came on the 444-yard 10th because of the course layout, which means that on the first two days half the field start their rounds on the long eighth.

Clarke’s birdies came at the eighth and 10th, while playing partner Simon Dyson picked up his first shot on the 348-yard 11th, reachable with the right wind and the hole where a BMW sports car is on offer for a hole-in-one.

Londoner Brian Davis, back from the US Tour for the event, was another to birdie the 10th and he stood one under.