Frustrated Clarke can only wait for lady luck to swing

It wasn't as if he didn't try, nor was it a question that his pursuit of a solution to the gremlins that haunted his game this week was lackadaisical. Darren Clarke courted the blisters with hours on the range that even included a mini consultation with tournament winner Tiger Woods, but the perspiration expended didn't translate to the scoreboard.

The Dungannon golfer limped home 63rd of 65 starters - Shigeki Maruyama withdrew after the first round - a statistic that won't concern him unduly if his form returns by Friday of this week.

He is frustrated, while at the same time, feeling the first adrenaline rush that Ryder Cup duty will evoke.

Yesterday at Mount Juliet he insisted that despite shooting a two over par 74, his game is not as bad as the scoring suggests and that lady luck is certainly looking the other way at the moment. "On the fourth, I had 122 yards to the flag, hit a little wedge shot and the ball drops four yards short of the flag and trickles over the back into the hazard.

"At the fifth, I three-putted from 35 feet. That's the sort of thing that has been happening to me. It is just frustrating that's all. I hoped to play a little bit better and to score better. I am not hitting the ball that badly, just not scoring. I can't put finger on it.

"The whole idea was to work hard here and just go with it this week. There is not a lot of work to do and it won't make any difference at this stage. The Ryder Cup is matchplay, completely different. I'm due a few good ones (rounds) and hopefully they'll come this week."

The accepted wisdom is that with the Ryder Cup looming there are too many European players who are not performing to their capabilities. Clarke bristles at the assertion that the team's morale will disintegrate in the face of adversity. "The team spirit is a massive thing."

Like many of his team-mates he believes that the composition of the first-day pairings has not been decided by captain Sam Torrance. "Nothing set in stone. He'll take a look at how we're playing in practice. If Sam wants me to play five times, I will.

"It would be nice to be part of a winning team again. Everybody goes through spells when things good or bad happen, it is just a case of keep playing and keep practicing. It's been a frustrating time. I just have to be patient and wait for things to turn around."

Clarke feels that his game is at 70 per cent at the moment. "It's not that bad. You can win holes with bogeys, you just don't know what to expect in matchplay; not that I'm intending to have bogeys. It doesn't make that much of a difference to play so poorly the week before."

Padraig Harrington, who finished on 13 under par in 21st place, was reasonably upbeat. " I putted a little bit better today. I just tried to get a little more confident over them (putts), not doubting my lines. I still have to work on a few things. I'm happy the way things are going.

"If I putt well (this week) I'll be quite happy. Everything (about my game) was nice, conservative, not too bad. I didn't play brilliantly and I didn't putt brilliantly, so 13 under par is not a bad return."

Harrington paid tribute to Tiger Woods performance before offering his thoughts on the four days at Mount Juliet. "It couldn't be a better showcase for golf in Ireland. It's been a perfect tournament, perfect winner. The golf course has been phenomenal, ideal conditions for good scoring. It's a great venue to be honest."