NI Masters tournament: Tournament favourite Darren Clarke has some ground to make up at Clandeboye after yesterday's first round in the £150,000 Benmore Development Northern Ireland Masters tournament, a new Challenge Tour event.
Clarke posted a one-over-par 72 to be eight shots adrift of overnight leader Jon Lupton who carded a course record 64 in his first Challenge Tour outing.
He is a professional for only three weeks after quitting the amateur game when he wasn't selected in the Walker Cup side.
The four short holes on the Dufferin Course cost Clarke dearly. He lost a stunning six shots over them, but put in a strong birdie-birdie finish to stay in the hunt.
"I'll be looking to do a lot better on those short holes in the second round," insisted Clarke. "Take those six shots away and I didn't have a bad round."
He was four over after five holes, birdied the sixth and seventh, made another birdie at the long 14th and then produced the Custer's Last Stand effort with birdie four at the 17th, reaching the green with a four-iron, and then rolling in a 20-footer for a three at the last.
It was a case of the early bird as the 24-year-old Lupton from Middlesbrough was first off the tee and stormed over the course in an amazing 10-birdie 64 for the course record.
He is the overnight leader by two strokes from 22-year-old Scot Marc Warren who has missed four cuts from six starts on the Challenge tour this season.
Leading Irishman is Raymie Burns who produced a storming finish with three birdies and an eagle over his closing five holes for 68, one shot ahead of Graeme McDowell and Michael Hoey.
Playing his first ever pro event is Colm Moriarty who shared in Britain and Ireland's Walker Cup glory last weekend.
The Athlone 24-year-old was happy with his one-over-par 72 as he finished with two birdies over the last four holes.
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