Clarke set to go the distance

GOLF/US Masters:  He stands on the 18th green surrounded by maybe a couple of hundred spectators, many of them sitting in their Masters green fold-away chairs which they bought for $25 from the merchandise stores. The applause is polite, but the recognition is immediate. Americans recognise Darren Clarke. They know him as the first man to tame the Tiger, a fun-loving sort of Irish guy who likes fast cars and large cigars.

That's the image, anyway. Clarke trudges off the final hole after a practice round - played with Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn and Lee Westwood - and his mind is on the menu in the Augusta National clubhouse. The round has taken over five hours and the extra 285 yards that have been added on to make this course the fifth longest in major championship history makes that club sandwich all the more welcome.

Clarke is two days away from the first major of the season, and the feel-good factor is obvious. On his last visit to the US, he finished second to Vijay Singh in the Houston Open and pocketed close to half a million greenbacks for his trouble.

When he went home, the new Queenswood course near his home in Sunningdale had prepared the practice green to 13 on the stimpmetre so he could tune up his putting for Masters week. What's more, the changes to the course impress him.

"I think they're fantastic," insisted Clarke. "The changes are very difficult, but I do feel they are for the better. The fairways are much tighter off the tee with the length that has been added on and, when you stand up on the tee box, you've got to think more about what you're doing. However, it definitely brings the driver more into play."

Although he had a slow start to the season, that second-placed finish in Houston two weeks ago brought home to him that the hard work was paying off. "I hadn't really had a good result in the season up to then, so it was good to go there and get one. I've been working very hard but things have just clicked in and I have more and more feeling in my swing again," he insisted.

While driving is vitally important here, and probably more so than ever, Clarke believes the title will be won and lost on the greens. "It always is . . . we don't play on greens as fast as this or as slopey as this all year. We only play them once a year. With all the changes, I think a score of eight under would be a fantastic score. Four 70s? I'd take that," he said, before the hunger pangs called him to the clubhouse.

Meanwhile, Padraig Harrington - who confined himself to a morning on the practice chipping area under the watchful eyes of sports psychologist Bob Rotella - was extremely impressed with British amateur champion Michael Hoey, who is moving into the professional ranks after competing in the Masters. "I believe he can be a first-class player," said Harrington of the Belfastman. "He hits the ball beautifully. Swing-wise and striking-wise he is plenty good enough. The level he gets himself to is up to himself."

Harrington helped the player in his preparations and attempted to impart some knowledge about the Augusta course to Hoey. "I told him not to try to do too much. It is impossible to cover all the options at Augusta. He mustn't do too much and get frustrated. There's no way you can say 'I've covered every difficult putt, every difficult chip' you could be faced with."