Austrian Open:Unbeaten as Ryder Cup partners last year and inseparable on tour for years, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke went their separate ways in the first round of the Austrian Open.
While Westwood was "fairly irritated" with a five-under-par 66 which threatened to be so much better, Clarke's two-over-par 73 left him facing a struggle to avoid missing a sixth cut in succession.
"I had 34 putts again today and I'm just struggling," admitted Clarke, who failed to make it through US Open qualifying at Walton Heath on Monday, is down to 94th in the world from 35th at the start of the year, and has not played all four rounds since early February.
"I sound like a broken record at the moment but that's the way I am at the minute."
In contrast, Westwood has been in a rich vein of form since changing putters after the first round of the Andalucia Open at the end of April, going on to win his first European Tour title in almost four years in Marbella and finishing 21st and 12th the following two weeks.
The former European number one carded seven birdies at Fontana Golf Club, but also dropped two shots and reeled off a litany of missed chances and encounters with snap-happy spectators.
"You don't often walk off disappointed with a 66 but I am fairly irritated with the way my scoring was today," Westwood said.
"It was comfortably the worst it could have been.
"Second hole of the day, I missed from three feet; on the 15th I hit a three-iron to about 30ft and three-putted; 18th, I hit three-iron when I should have hit four and went through the back, which is not good.
"On my second shot to the first someone clicked a camera on my backswing and I fatted a sand-iron short of the green, chipped to two feet but missed that.
"I also three-putted the seventh and hit it in the worst spot imaginable on the ninth, so it should have been comfortably better than 66."
Experienced caddy Dave Renwick was left in no doubt what Westwood thought of that wrong club on the 18th, the 34-year-old joking: "What I said (complete with two expletives) was mainly to myself, but I said it loud enough so Dave could hear it!"
Aside from Clarke's struggles, it was generally an uninspired day for the Irish. David Higgins and Gary Murphy finished on one under after 70s, and Murphy had an eagle at the 18th to thank for that.
Graeme McDowell had two birdies and two bogeys in his level-par 71, while Peter Lawrie carded a triple-bogey seven at the 14th on his way to a 77.
The lead is held by England's Graeme Storm, a former British Amateur champion.
Colin Montgomerie shot a 73 which featured a watery double-bogey on the seventh and three putts for par on the 18th.
