Darren Clarke admits he is in an excellent place with his game following on from his Seniors Open title as he started strongly at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open to hold a share of the lead after the opening day.
The Dungannon man, who triumphed at Gleneagles last month for his first seniors Major title, fired eight birdies and one bogey in his opening round at En-Joie Golf Club for a seven-under 65.
That has him tied atop the leaderboard alongside Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh, with the trio holding a one-shot lead over Padraig Harrington and Duffy Waldorf, who had a pair of 66s.
It’s been a fine run for Clarke, who was also in contention at the JCB Championship on the Legends Tour, and he says he’s confident with where he’s at right now.
“It’s nice to win any time, but obviously winning a senior Major was more special and I feel good about my game right now,” Clarke said. “That’s not to say I’ll have another couple days like I did today, but I’m going to do my best.”
Singh opened birdie-birdie-eagle in his first round in Endicott, New York before cooling off slightly to tie Clarke, and they were joined by Furyk, who also had eight birdies and one bogey.
Harrington had more birdies than Clarke as he found nine in his round, but an unfortunate double-bogey at the par-three seventh – along with one more bogey – dropped him into a share of fourth with Waldorf.
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