THE smiles said it all. For Philip Walton, it was one of genuine delight after a sparkling round of 69, while for compatriot Darren Clarke, it was designed to mask bitter disappointment at a crushing 77. Still, given the challenge of Oakland Hills, a success rate of 50 per cent wasn't too bad.
On his debut in the championship, Walton was rewarded for a remarkably confident approach which saw him limit his practice to only nine holes per day since his arrival here. I was determined to relax, he explained. Its success could be argued from the fact that he missed only two fair ways and puffed admirably, particularly from long range.
"It was a very impressive performance," said reigning USPGA champion Steve Elkington, one of his playing partners. "Philip's game was perfect. His caddie told me before the start that he hadn't been putting well but he certainly found a nice touch today." Effectively, Walton regained the mood which characterised a crucial Ryder Cup contribution at another Donald Ross designed course, Oak Hill, last September. Long par fours with tight, testing fairways posed few problems for his solid, accurate driving. And the quality of his iron play couldn't be faulted.
"I was prepared to settle for something around 70 to 72 but to break par is really great," he said afterwards. "I'm very satisfied with the way I played but I realise I've got to produce another good performance tomorrow if I'm to make the cut." In face he is attempting to repeat his success of the USPGA Championship at Riviera last August when he played all four rounds to finish in a tie for 39th place behind Elkington.
As it happened, the early pres sure of yesterday's challenge was eased by his exemplary play of the long second. Using his driver off the fairway, Walton reached the green with a shot of 245 yards to set up a two putt birdie. Indicative of the treacherous nature of the greens, however, was the fact that his second putt was from 10 feet. Having then proceeded to reel off solid pars, he was understandably annoyed with himself when a rather slack eight iron into a right greenside trap at the seventh resulted in a bogey. But he recovered the shot immediately sinking a 20 foot downhill putt for a birdie at the next.
The Malahide player then got to two under for the round when a beautifully played six iron approach to the 450 yard 10th came to rest 15 feet below the pin from where he proceeded to sink the putt. The purely of his ball striking was again in evidence at the next where, from a fairway bunker on the right, he hit a glorious, nine iron recovery of 145 yards to the heart of the green.
Against that background, it was bitterly ironic that his second bogey of the round should have been conceded so easily. It came at the long 12th where he actually hit the green with a wedge approach only to have the ball spin back into the front apron. From there, he mis hit an attempted chip which came up eight feet short of the hole from where he took two putts.
From there to the finish Walton shot a succession of two putt pars. In the process, he got a lucky break at the 16th where, after pulling his drive into a horrible lie in the rough, he successfully claimed relief from casual water. It allowed him to hit a seven iron recovery of 154 yards to the left side of the green. From his original lie, he couldn't have attempted such a shot, particularly over water.
Though Wednesday's rain had dampened the fire in the greens, it also had the effect of making the course play exceptionally long. So it was that after a fine drive at the 18th, Walton still had a 200 yard four iron approach to the green. As things turned out, he hit the wrong part of the severely ridged green but, once more, his long putting was exemplary, leaving him a two footer for his par.
In sharp contrast, Clarke struggled from the outset, largely because of wayward driving. Still, when a 20 foot birdie putt found the target at the eighth, he was only one over par at that stage. Then came the first of two crushing blows.
A tee shot came up short of the green at the 229 yard ninth, leading to an ill judged chip and three puffs for a double bogey five. He also double bogeyed the next where he drove into a fairway bunker and was punished for an over ambitious, six iron recovery: this time the ball was plugged under the lip.
By that stage, Clarke's game lacked the necessary sharpness to repair the damage - and he knew it. So it was with a sense of resignation that he played out the remaining holes in two over. "I'm very, very disappointed," he said afterwards. "After the way I had played in practice, I couldn't wait for the championship to start. Now I face a real struggle for survival."
