DARREN CLARKE is becoming accustomed to forming part of the dawn brigade in the Irish Open on Saturday mornings, those men who pave the way for the real contenders.
But the 27 year old Ulsterman - who displayed all his character and resilience on the journey home at Druids Glen yesterday - was mighty happy to be among them, a mere survivor.
"I always seem to make the final two rounds, but only as an early starter," said Clarke, part of a sextet of Irish survivors from an initial contingent of 28, who will attempt to muster a respectable rearguard action to repel the foreign invaders.
He had to do it the hard way, though. Clarke's interest in the event seemed to have disappeared when he bogeyed the ninth hole to move to 10 over par for the tournament. But he showed his mettle by conjuring up four birdies over the closing stretch - including an eightfooter on the last - to finish on the cut off mark of six over par 148.
"I'm a happy man," said Clarke, who is joined by Gary Murphy (71 for 141), Paul McGinley (71 for 144), Ronan Rafferty (72 for 146), Raymond Burns (74 for 146) and Philip Walton (72 for 148) for the final two days. "It is the biggest tournament for us and there is no way you want to be going home early."
He very nearly was, until his courageous fightback over the tough, closing stretch.
Clarke's 32 strokes for the final nine holes was the best of the day, testimony to his resilience. When the lightning arrived to halt play, Clarke was on the elevated 13th tee. "Not the nicest place to be," he quipped but, ironically, played his best golf on the resumption.
"I felt very relaxed after the break for some reason, he said. And an indication of his precise iron play is that the longest of his birdie putts was that eight footer on the last to secure a 69, a round which saved him the indignity of a missed cut.
In contrast, Philip Walton finished his round with a double bogey six - alter pushing his approach into the waterfalls but still survived on the limit.
McGinley, however, is struggling to find his best form. "I hit, 14 greens in regulation, but dropped a shot at each of the greens that I missed. The penalty for missing the greens is just so severe. In normal circumstances, you expect to make recoveries 60 per cent of the time. But not here.
"I am just getting underneath the ball too much," said McGinley. "I'm having too many blocks. It is something I will have to sort out."
When former European number one Rafferty chipped in at the ninth (his last) for a birdie three, he felt it would keep him in the field. As things transpired, it put him a comfortable two shots inside the cut, and he was joined on that mark by Burns.
But Burns was not entirely happy with either his game or the course. "I played like a dog all day," he complained. "I was too aggressive, I went for the pin too often."
Frustration was etched on his face. And he continued: "The course is too young, and the bunkers a disgrace. It is a strange course. I don't like it. I feel it has been tricked up." Maybe a good night's sleep and the memory of his 67 on Wednesday in the Pro Am will revive his ambition.
Generally, however, despite Clarke's resolute fight back and Murphy's heroics, it was a poor day for the Irish challengers.
Among the more notable casualties were Eamonn Darcy, who is the club's touring professional, who missed out by one shot, David Feherty, Francis Howley, David Higgins and Christy O'Connor Junior.
Sadly, none of the amateurs managed to survive which means no need for the silver medal, this year - while the unfortunate Damien Mooney will, like a lot of others, have reason to remember the 13th hole.
Mooney was comfortably inside the cut as he teed off at that hole, but finished with a quintuple bogey nine to destroy any hopes he entertained of an Irish Open payday. His fate, pretty much, summed up the Irish experience.
