DARREN CLARKE'S capacity for self-destruction was again starkly in evidence when the Scottish Open began at a breezy Carnoustie yesterday. After ruling himself out of contention for last week's Irish Open title at Druids Glen with an opening round 79, the Ulsterman put its Caledonian counterpart beyond his reach by taking 80 strokes to complete his first round.
His eight-over par offering - by no means the worst during a brutal afternoon of gale force gusts and showers - left Clarke 10 shots behind joint leaders Colin Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam.
Only five others bettered par as the howling wind down the Tay Estuary gusted to 35 mph and created havoc among the ranks of the inexperienced or ill-equipped. Among them were Tiger Woods the US amateur champion for the last two years, who took 81, American Jim Furyk, who won this year's Hawaiian Open, signed for 84, and South African Roger Wessels propped up the field with 86.
But it wasn't the elements that put paid to Clarke's chances of a morale-boosting challenge the week before the world's best assemble to compete for the Royal and Ancient's prized pewter pot at Lytham.
Or the severity of the superbly-conditioned terrain David Feherty described as being "head and shoulders above anything else" - St Andrews included - in the British Isles. It was largely Clarke's recklessness in the face of obvious danger, coupled with his obstinacy in refusing to heed the advice of caddie Billy Foster, one of the most experienced and knowledgeable in the game.
Carnoustie's infamous closing holes, the short 16th, measuring 235 yards, then the two par fours (453 yards and 472 yards) bisected by the Barry Burn, demand respect and discretion as anyone who witnessed the closing stages of Tom Watson's first British Open victory here knows only too well.
Clarke showed neither and paid the penalty. Despite getting his par at the 16th he did not like his four-iron tee shot. He was also less than enthusiastic about his two-iron into the wind at the 17th which he cut into sand for the sixth bogey of his round.
But neither was disastrous and a par four at the last, easily reachable downwind with a long iron favouring the left side of the fairway followed by a pitch, would have left him alive to fight another day. His caddy proffered a two-iron, but was overruled as Clarke reached fatally for his driver.
His ball finished under the lip of one of the bunkers guarding the right side and he only just got it out on to the stubbly downslope of the hazard. From there it was inevitable he would be in the burn. A triple-bogey seven saw him back in 41 and repenting at leisure.
But David Feherty, who was the best of the 10 Irish contenders with 74, and Paul McGinley and Des Smyth, who each shot 75, are still well in with a chance of gaining one of the five special British Open places on offer in this event.
McGinley recovered well from being four over after the 10th where he took six after tangling with the thick rough. He birdied the 12th and 14th and the 18th, where he holed from six feet after finding two driver shots were not enough to get him home at the 17th. "My putting save me," he remarked, "because I did not play well, except on the greens".
Smyth, who had the benefit of warm morning sunshine for 15 holes, let two shots slip in the last three holes, while Harrington took fives at both the 17th and 18th after finding sand from the tee. He had made a promising start by holing from 20 feet to birdie the first, but took 39 to the turn after kicking off a downslope at the short eighth into heavy rough and taking five there.
Feherty, whose new wife Anita and the four children of their former marriages were in his gallery, played immaculately from tee to green, but his putting left much to be desired. "I missed five or six chances from around four or five feet," he said ruefully.
The high spots were successive birdies at the 14th and 15th, where he was home downwind with a nine-iron that travelled 198 yards to within two feet of the flag, and a par save from 10 feet at the last.
