GOLF: Mercedes Championship: Darren Clarke is one shot off the lead after the first round of the PGA Tour's season-opening Mercedes Championship in Hawaii.

The Dungannon man arrived in Hawaii on Friday of last week to give himself plenty of time to recover from the eight-hour time difference at home. The long preparation paid off as he shot a six-under-par 67 on Maui's Kapalua Plantation course to trail Australian Stuart Appleby by one shot.

Appleby (32) never really had a close season, and it showed. He played the Australian Open, which ended December 21st, and had just one week off over Christmas. He recovered from a bogey at the first hole to shoot an impressive 66 and lead the elite 30-man field, restricted to winners on tour last year.

"After the bogey on the first, I played solid all day," Appleby said. "I liked the way I swung it and rolled it. It was a little tricky trying to read the greens but I did make my share of putts."

Kirk Triplett, Scott Hoch, Justin Leonard and 2003 leading money-winner Vijay Singh share third place on five-under-par 68.

Bunched at four-under-par 69 are Japan's Shigeki Maruyama, John Huston, Australia's Adam Scott, Fred Couples and Davis Love III.

World number one Tiger Woods eagled the last hole in an otherwise disappointing round to finish on two-under 71 while defending champion Ernie Els of South Africa shot an even-par 73.

Els set a PGA Tour scoring record of 31-under-par in winning this event last year.

Clarke has lost 30 pounds in a fitness programme he began last autumn and even swore off cigarettes and alcohol as his New Year's resolution.

He felt he needed to get stronger and fitter and has been working diligently with the help of a trainer and the encouragement of fitness fanatic Woods.

"Today walking up and down the hills, I was fine," Clarke said of the hilly course. "It was my first-ever competitive round, I think, without having any nicotine in my body.

"No beer, no nicotine. Don't know what's going on really," he said.