Clarke just can't find the groove

Irish Open: As any amateur will attest, golf can be a frustrating game, so imagine when it's your livelihood. Being in the top-20 professional golfers in the world and a player of consummate natural ability doesn't inure an individual to those bad days at the office.

Last week Darren Clarke made the cut at the British Open and by his own admission never stopped trying, but his game was conspicuously ragged. It can't be attributed to a lack of preparation as the Irishman was fastidious in that respect.

This week for the Irish Open at Portmarnock he tried a different tack, removing the suffocating self-expectation in favour of a more relaxed approach. Unfortunately, the performance graph is not for turning at the moment.

On emerging from the scorer's cabin, Clarke's candour was disarming.

"I'm hitting it terribly, putting terribly and just swinging the club very poorly; off my rhythm, off my timing, off everything. The course is playing as near perfect in terms of conditions as you can get.

"There's an opportunity to have a score. I was useless on the course, hit in very poorly."

The answer isn't to be found on the practice ground, but possibly under the gaze of coach Butch Harmon. A three-over-par 75 leaves him struggling to make the cut.

Having turned one over the card playing the back nine first, he double bogeyed the first, primarily because he failed to extricate himself from a bunkered drive at the first time of asking.

He battled back with a couple of birdies, but allowed the same number of shots to slip away on the run-in.

Clarke's woes were in marked contrast to Brendan McGovern. The Headfort professional, who spent six years as an assistant pro at Portmarnock, shot an excellent, three-under-par 69 to be bracketed as the leading Irish player alongside Padraig Harrington.

Surprisingly, the recent changes to the north Dublin venue removed any advantage McGovern might have gleaned 13 years ago.

"The fairways were wider, the greens slower and the lines on some of the tee-shots were completely different. Don't get me wrong, there were some advantages too, but the changes reduced that a little."

McGovern's form this season hardly augured for such a high-profile role, although last week a course record 65 at Fintona offered an inkling that his game was returning. His putting, an Achilles heel for much of the season, blossomed on the fast, good greens that he cherishes.

"I look forward to playing Portmarnock. I can compete on a golf course like this. I would expect to play well."

Conditions for his round were well nigh perfect and he feels that making the cut is within his compass providing the weather doesn't deteriorate significantly.

The 37-year-old is a long-time visitor to the Irish Open, having missed out on the tournament only twice since his first appearance in 1989.

Peter Lawrie also rediscovered his rhythm, missing in his last couple of tournaments, to shoot a two-under-par 70.

He decided not to try to pre-qualify for the British Open because "I didn't want to come here wrecked. I played very nicely, drove the ball lovely, holed some nice putts. Hopefully I can make the cut."

He is joined on that mark by Belfast's Damien Mooney, who produced a superb round in the worst of the afternoon conditions.

Damien McGrane shot a level par 72, while former Walker Cup team-mates Graeme McDowell and Michael Hoey were a shot further back.

Paul McGinley, who dropped only two shots but couldn't find a birdie, Philip Walton, Gary Murphy and amateur international and club member Noel Fox were all on two over. John Dwyer and John McHenry shot 76s.