Darren Clarke slips up after superb start
Darren Clarke finished three under par at the Madrid Masters today but knows he could have been topping the first-round leaderboard.
The Northern Irishman reached the turn in five under but then picked up three bogeys in his next eight holes before snatching a birdie at the last.
That left the Ryder Cup star four shots behind the clubhouse leaders, England's David Horsey and Danny Willett.
Clarke needs a strong performance at Centro Nacional this week as he is 65th on the European Tour money list, five places outside the cut off point for next month's lucrative Dubai World Championship.
Meanwhile, Adam Blyth made a flying start to his bid for a maiden Asian Tour title with a flawless eight-under-par round at the Hero Honda Indian Open.
The 27-year-old Australian carded eight birdies to lead by one from Korea's Lee Sung. Blyth said: "I played great in the Dunhill Links Championship last week but it was just not really happening in terms of scoring. I knew if I kept patient it would come."
