Darren Clarke found himself five-over with seven holes to play in the opening round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Sanford International at Minnehaha Golf Club in South Dakota, then caught fire.
The 2011 Champion Golfer of the Year was all out of sorts for the first 11 holes, bogeying the first, third, fifth, seventh, and 11th holes, but a birdie on the par-5 12th sparked a revival.
He added further birdies on the par-4 13th and 15th holes, then eagled the 16th to cover the five-hole stretch in five-under and somehow find himself back at level par and back in with a chance of claiming his first individual victory of the season having partnered Thomas Bjorn to paired glory in the American Family Insurance Championship earlier this year.
Clarke trails leader Angel Cabrera by six after the Argentinian produced a bogey-free 64, making six birdies to take a one-stroke lead over South African Retief Goosen, with Bo Van Pelt, Steven Alker and Ernie Els a shot further behind at -4.
Cabrera, who was celebrating his 56th birthday on the day, is seeking his fourth victory of the campaign which would tie Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez for most wins of the season, though ‘The Mechanic’ is one of six players tied for sixth at -3, three shots behind Cabrera.
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