Darren Clarke shot a one-under 69 to sit tied for 30th after the opening round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic where Y.E. Yang, Robert Karlsson and Richard Green share the lead.
Clarke, a six-time winner on the senior circuit and the sole Irish representative in the field, made four birdies but the mistakes kept him from challenging at the top of the leaderboard and a pair of back-to-back bogeys to close out the front nine proved costly.
Karlsson and Yang each made seven birdies and one bogey, while Green went bogey-free for the opening round and they are locked together at -6, with Steven Alker, Tim O’Neal and Thongchai Jaidee one shot behind the trio in a share of fourth place.
Alker, who is third in the Schwab Cup rankings, is seeking his fourth win in five starts having won back-to-back titles on the U.S. circuit before travelling to Northern Ireland and claiming the NI Legends at Galgorm.
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