US Tour: Darren Clarke got off to a slow start in the first round of the US Tour championship in Houston yesterday.

Clarke, who pulled out of the Seve Trophy in Spain this week after his place in the 31-man field was confirmed on Sunday, went to the turn in one over par at Champions Golf Club.

He dropped shots at the second, third and eighth holes on the tough par-71 layout, but picked up birdies at the two par fives on the front nine.

The 35-year-old - whose win in the NEC Invitational essentially secured his place in the limited-field event - was only three shots off the lead, however, with American trio Chris Riley, Scott Verplank and Steve Flesch setting the early pace on two under par.

Most of the attention was focused on the final two ball on the course, with Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods playing together as they battled it out to finish top of the money list.

Woods has to win to claim the title for an unprecedented fifth straight year, but the in-form Singh can still deny the world number one by finishing in a tie for third or better.

Singh is also the defending champion, although his win 12 months ago came at a different venue, while Woods did win at Champions in 1999.

Clarke dropped further shots at the 13th and 14th to slump to three over par, and was now six shots off the lead in 28th position.

Woods lipped out from four feet for birdie on the first after watching Singh save par from a similar distance, but Singh then three-putted the second and bogeyed the fourth as well.

The Fijian was now three behind Woods, who birdied the fourth to move to one under, two shots behind Scott Verplank and Chris Di Marco who had gone to the turn in 33.

The US PGA Tour has announced a 48-tournament schedule for 2004 offering a total prize fund of about $240 million, up nearly seven per cent.

The programme runs from January 8th, with the season-opening Mercedes Championship in Hawaii, to November 7th, for the start of the Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.

The elite Mercedes event in Kapalua features all the 2003 tournament winners. The first full-field event of the year will take place the following week at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

The four World Golf Championships events next year will be evenly split between the United States and Europe.

The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship returns to LaCosta Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, while the WGC-NEC Invitational heads back to Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. The WGC-American Express Championship is back to its 2002 venue, Mount Juliet, with the WGC-World Cup scheduled for the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla in Spain.