Clarke has an ace but putts will not drop

Golf Digest/European Tour:Darren Clarke carded an impressive hole-in-one on the fourth in yesterday's second round of the Indonesian Open in Jakarta.

The Dungannon man, using a nine-iron, sent his tee-shot onto the green from 142 yards before it rolled into the hole.

Clarke signed for a three-under 67 to lie on five under overall, eight shots behind leader Felipe Aguilar of Chile, who fired an eight-under 62 over the Cengkareng course.

But Clarke admitted he was unaware at first that he had aced the shot.

"I didn't even see it go in," he said. "The hole was behind a hump in the green so I couldn't see the bottom of the flag."

Clarke added birdies on the sixth and seventh, but was unable to keep that run going on the back nine, dropping one shot and making par on the rest to finish three under for the day.

"I was doing okay, but then I had 17 putts on the back nine," he added. "I gave myself chance after chance and I just kept missing.

"There is nothing else to say really, I am starting to sound like a bit of a broken record."

England's Oliver Fisher, who was playing with Clarke, has set his sights on a maiden European Tour victory this season as he prepares to mount a challenge for the top of the leaderboard during the weekend.

The 19-year-old Londoner has been touted as one of the most exciting prospects in the game since 2006 when he became the youngest Briton to win a place on the European Tour.

He went on to have a solid season last year, with the highlight being a top-10 finish at the Johnnie Walker Championship.

Fisher has made a promising start to 2008 with a ninth-place finish at the New Zealand Open followed by a good display at the Abu Dhabi Championship, where he took 11th place.

He arrived in Jakarta on the back of solid performances at the Qatar Masters and the Dubai Desert Classic and has made steady progress at the Cengkareng Golf Club, lying eight shots behind after carding a two-under 68 in the second round.

"It has been a good start to the season," he said. "I've hit the ball well and my putting has been pretty decent. I am pleased with what I did over the winter as it seems to have been working so far."

"It would be great to win and that is what I want to do this year but we will see how I get on."

Fisher, starting the second round on the back nine, holed a birdie putt on the 10th hole before adding another two on the par-four 13th and 14th.

He dropped a shot on the par-four 16th, one of the trickiest holes on the course, and was then unable to make the progress he would have liked coming home, bogeying the second before making a birdie on his last hole.

Paul McGinley, who like Clarke finished the opening round on two under, finished one under for the day and trails Aguilar by 10 strokes.

Selected Scores(British unless stated, Irish in bold, par 70): 127 - F Aguilar (Chi) 65 62. 129 - P Meesawat (Tha) 66 63, J Kamte (Rsa) 62 67. 130 - M Wiegele (Aut) 65 65, P Marksaeng (Tha) 65 65. 131 - JM Singh (Ind) 65 66. 132 - W-c Liang (Chn) 65 67. 133 - T-C Wang (Tpe) 69 64, J Luiten (Ned) 64 69, K Sullivan 65 68, C Phadungsil (Tha) 69 64, M Brown (Nzl) 67 66, A Blyth (Aus) 66 67. 134 - C Gane 68 66, S Hend (Aus) 66 68, M Ilonen (Fin) 66 68, A Atwal (Ind) 67 67, A Que (Phi) 67 67, T Wiratchant (Tha) 67 67. 135 - P Whiteford 68 67, R Dinwiddie 69 66, R Davies 66 69, S Manley 69 66, Darren Clarke(N Ire) 68 67, O Fisher 67 68, G Rosales (Phi) 67 68, C Nirat (Tha) 69 66, P Golding 65 70. Other: 137 - Paul McGinley(Ire) 68 69.

CHAMPIONS TOUR:Cork's Denis O'Sullivan, making a rare appearance in the US, shot a four-under-par 68 to be just three shots off the lead in yesterday's first round of the Ace Group Classic at Quail West in Naples, Florida.

Clubhouse leaders Tom Kite and Loren Roberts were on seven under. Kite finished with four birdies on the trot, while Roberts had four in a row from the 11th.

Des Smyth had four birdies in his three-under 69. Mark McNulty slipped to a 74.