Early start leads to early exit for Ireland's top two

Golf: Low noon on a Californian Wednesday and two Irish obituaries to be written already. Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington both crashed out of the Accenture World Matchplay Championship within minutes of each other here yesterday.

Seeded 12th and 11th respectively, Clarke and Harrington were the biggest early casualties.

Clarke, a winner here in momentous circumstances two years ago, was ushered through the exit door by Matt Gogel, the in-form American who was a winner at Pebble Beach just three weeks ago. In winning 2 and 1, Gogel secured a big scalp in his first matchplay game since his amateur days.

Harrington, confessing to a little rustiness after a nine-week lay-off, was bounced out minutes later, losing 3 and 2 to Steve Flesch.

Clarke is celebrated in these parts for the laid back manner of that win over Tiger Woods two years ago. But those days of blue skies and cigar smoke seemed a long time ago yesterday. Returning, like the tournament, to La Costa, Clarke had an early start and the dew was still on the grass by the time he found trouble.

Clarke's birdie on the short third served as an alarm call to Gogel, whose approach on the fourth landed four inches from the hole.

Having lost his early lead, Clarke paid a price for ambition on the next and bogeyed to fall one behind as Gogel made a 12-footer for par. Clarke pushed his shot on the par three seventh, and three-putted from just off the green to go two behind.

After that Clarke failed to harvest any reward for some fine play between eight and 14. On hole after hole he gave himself birdie chances but could get little to drop.

The eighth was emblematic of the struggle. Gogel made a five-footer for birdie. Clarke's fine effort from 18 feet just brushed past. Clarke dropped his putter on the green in absolute frustration as he went three holes behind.

Gogel then matched Clarke's birdie at nine to bring his three-hole lead into the turn.

With birdies on 11 and 12 to close to one behind, it looked as if Clarke was about to make a charge. But he drove into a bunker on 15 to fall two behind again.

It ended on 17. Gogel's third to the par five lay at 12 feet, leaving the door ever so slightly ajar for Clarke who hit his third to about nine feet. Gogel tickled the hole with his birdie putt. So did Clarke. Two pars and there it ended.

"The thing is I played lovely on 16 holes," said a chagrined Clarke. "I was inside Matt on 14 of the greens, so from tee to green I had no complaints. Around the green I played a little poorly. I putted nicely when I was here two years ago. That was the main difference this time."

For Harrington, defeat came in a different flavour. Disappointment was tempered by his modest hopes for the week and an appreciation of his recent history which brings him a slow start to every working year. This was the third year in succession that his interest has ended after round one.

"Same old same old," he said at the back of the 16th green where a missed 10-foot putt finished his interest in the tournament.

"My short game is poor. That's the way it is. Maybe I wouldn't have started with matchplay if it hadn't been an event of this stature. On the other hand, I wouldn't have made a cut this week either."

Flesch, a promisingly consistent pro from Ohio, had a mixed round but took his opportunities when they presented themselves and hit a string of four birdies around the turn to ratchet up the pressure on the Irishman.

"He was ropey early on," said Harrington. "I missed from four foot at the fourth and he hit a 20-footer for a par. Then he came good and he birdied nine, 10, 11 and 12."

By the time that run of birdies was done with Harrington was in big trouble. A sin of commission on the next effectively ended the match.

"On the 13th I was trying to watch him play. His shot caused a scattering among the marshals at the back of the green and I was wondering what it was. It distracted me."

Harrington ended up plugging his shot into the bunker, instead of availing of the chance to come back to two behind with five left. A sloppy double bogey on 14 contrasted starkly with Flesch's birdie and left the game beyond Harrington's reach.