FROM THE AOL GOLF NEWS SERVICE
Darren Clarke has given himself the chance to go 'Double Dutch' this weekend after a second-round 67 gave him a share of the halfway lead at the KLM Open.
He shares that honour with Swede Peter Hedblom who has not even had a top-20 finish this season but joined Clarke on eight under par with his second successive 66.
"It's one of my favourite venues. It sets up well for me and it's always nice to come back to a place where you've done well," said Clarke, who has not had a single top-10 finish since his victory 12 months ago.
The leading duo are a stroke ahead of England's Kenneth Ferrie, Welshman Bradley Dredge, Dubliner Peter Lawrie, Swede Oskar Henningsson and Australian Wade Ormsby.
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Click on the links below for more golf news
Europe fall behind
Three share lead in Greensboro
Kamii closes on Tomida
Singapore date for European Tour
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A new course record of 63 was set by England's Marcus Higley - it was his lowest round on Tour by three - as he moved to six under and the score was then matched by Spain's Alejandro Canizares as he improved from two over to five under.
First round leaders Paul McGinley and Gary Orr both slipped back. McGinley had a 70 to remain six under and Orr's 73 put him five behind.
Two big names are already out with Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal both missing the halfway cut - Montgomerie for the third event in a row.
Ryder Cup captain Montgomerie improved nine strokes on his opening 76, but at three over crashed out by four.
Olazabal, battling rheumatic pains again, finished two over after a 72 and said: "I can't put in the hours (of practice) that this game needs to be sharp.
"I didn't play well and my putting stroke is not there either."
SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 140 (2x70)
132 Peter Hedblom (Swe) 66 66, Darren Clarke 65 67
133 Wade Ormsby (Aus) 66 67, Oskar Henningsson (Swe) 67 66, Peter Lawrie 65 68, Kenneth Ferrie 66 67, Bradley Dredge 66 67
134 Carlos Del Moral (Spa) 67 67, Damien McGrane 67 67, Terry Pilkadaris (Aus) 69 65, Simon Dyson 67 67, Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor) 70 64, Marcus Higley 71 63, Paul Lawrie 66 68, Shane Lowry 66 68, Jamie Donaldson 66 68, Paul McGinley 64 70
135 Alessandro Tadini (Ita) 68 67, Gareth Maybin 67 68, Alejandro Canizares (Spa) 72 63, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 66 69, Klas Eriksson (Swe) 67 68
136 Christian Cevaer (Fra) 70 66, Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 70 66, Jorge Campillo (Spa) 65 71, Markus Brier (Aut) 67 69, Richard Green (Aus) 69 67, David Lynn 68 68, Barry Lane 68 68
137 Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa) 69 68, Gary Orr 64 73, Richie Ramsay 69 68, Garry Houston 67 70, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 70 67, Andrew Coltart 68 69, Simon Wakefield 69 68, David Drysdale 72 65, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 69 68, Emanuele Canonica (Ita) 70 67, Mark Foster 69 68, Sam Little 70 67, Ross McGowan 70 67
138 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 71 67, Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 69 69, Sion Bebb 71 67, Phillip Price 66 72, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 69 69, Graeme Storm 71 67, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 70 68, Alexander Noren (Swe) 72 66, David Dixon 72 66, Phillip Archer 74 64, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par) 74 64, Michael Jonzon (Swe) 69 69, Guido Van Der Valk (Ned) 71 67, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 69 69
139 Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 70 69, Chris Wood 71 68, Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 68 71, Shiv Kapur (Ind) 71 68, Benn Barham 71 68, David Horsey 73 66, Mark Brown (Nzl) 68 71, Simon Khan 68 71, Felipe Aguilar (Chi) 68 71, Callum Macaulay 66 73, Miles Tunnicliff 70 69, Peter O'Malley (Aus) 69 70
MISSED THE CUT
140 Jonathan Caldwell 71 69, Magnus A Carlsson (Swe) 70 70, James Kingston (Rsa) 69 71, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 70 70, Stephen Leaney (Aus) 71 69, Mark Mouland 71 69, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 68 72, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 70 70
141 Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 70 71, Ake Nilsson (Rsa) 72 69, Joost Luiten (Ned) 71 70, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 71 70, Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha) 71 70, Wil Besseling (Ned) 73 68, Iain Pyman 71 70, Matthew Millar (Aus) 65 76, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 71 70, Alan McLean 69 72, David Howell 72 69, Marc Cayeux (Zim) 70 71, Alexandre Rocha (Bra) 68 73, Richard Kind (Ned) 71 70, Rolf Muntz (Ned) 71 70, Tim Sluiter (Ned) 73 68, Thomas Levet (Fra) 73 68
142 Richard Bland 69 73, Patrik Sjoland (Swe) 73 69, Stuart Davis 69 73, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 69 73, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 74 68, Tadd Fujikawa (USA) 71 71, Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa) 70 72, Sam Walker 74 68, Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa) 72 70, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut) 74 68
143 Robert Dinwiddie 74 69, Colin Montgomerie 76 67, Scott Arnold (Aus) 71 72, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 75 68, Scott Drummond 72 71, Stuart Manley 70 73, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa) 76 67, Steven O'Hara 75 68, Robert Rock 69 74, Mark Reynolds (Ned) 72 71, Inder Van Weerelt (Ned) 71 72, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 76 67, Michael Curtain (Aus) 73 70, Chris Doak 69 74
144 Sven Maurits (Ned) 74 70, Roope Kakko (Fin) 71 73, Zane Scotland 69 75, John Mellor 70 74, Branden Grace (Rsa) 74 70, Danny Willett 70 74, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 71 73, Gary Lockerbie 72 72, Sven Struver (Ger) 72 72, Pablo Martin (Spa) 72 72
145 Brett Rumford (Aus) 73 72, Jules De vries (Ned) 73 72, Floris De Vries (Ned) 71 74, Lee Slattery 71 74, Ronald Stokman (Ned) 77 68
146 Jurien Van der vaart (Ned) 70 76, Alvaro Velasco (Spa) 71 75, Gary Murphy 76 70, Marc Warren 72 74, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 74 72, Reinier Saxton (Ned) 76 70, Santiago Luna (Spa) 72 74
147 Christian Nilsson (Swe) 74 73, Taco Remkes (Ned) 73 74, Ruben Wechgelaer (Ned) 72 75
148 Michael Hoey 79 69
149 John E Morgan 76 73, Scott Barr (Aus) 78 71, Seve Benson 77 72
150 Willem Vork (Ned) 78 72, Marcel Siem (Ger) 78 72, Thomas Detry (Bel) 80 70, Oliver Fisher 78 72
151 Stephen Dodd 78 73
152 Alastair Forsyth 79 73, Anthony Snobeck (Fra) 76 76
153 Marco Ruiz (Par) 80 73
155 Jan-Willem Van Hoof (Ned) 78 77
WD: John Bickerton 69

DEESIDE PRO-AM REPORT, SCORES

Mark is King of the Castle at Deeside despite late bogeys in five-under 65 Kingsfield's Mark King won the top prize of £1,172 in today's Saltire Energy pro-am at Deeside Golf Club despite bogeying the last two holes. King finished with a five-under-par 65 after birdieing the second, third, fourth, sixth and eighth in a superb outward half of five-under-par 31. He improved to seventh under par with further birdies at the 13th and 14th but that was the end of his fireworks. He parred 16th and 17th before dropping shorts at the last two holes in an inward 34. Preferred lies were in operation so the round was not considered for course record status off the gold tees. Runner-up only a shot behind was Greig Hutcheon, now playing out of Banchory. His 66 earned him £937.39. Third was the University of Stirling professional Gordon Niven with a 67 for which he received £474.67. Aberdeen-born Greig Hutcheon, no stranger to the Bieldside course from his days as an amateur – he was a Scotland boys and youths cap, also piloted a Deeside club trio of Alan Ross (16), Gordon Smth (13) and Roy Roxburgh (12) to victory in the team event with a net score of 17-under-par 123. Leading pro scores Par 70 65 Mark King (Kingsfield) £1,172. 66 Greig Hutcheon (Banchory) £937.39. 67 Gordon Niven (Stirling Univ) £703.22. 68 Stephen Gray (Hayston), Craig Lee (unatt) £474.67 each. 69 Scott Henderson (Kings Links), Christopher Russell (RAW Golf Course Design), Graeme Lornie (Paul Lawrie Foundation), Robert Arnott (Bishopbriggs Golf Range), Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon), Alan Lockhart (Ladybank) £251.98 each. 70 Callum Nicoll (Prestwick), Craig Matheson (Falkirk Tryst), Greg McBain (Royal Dorncoh) £152.36 each. 71 Steven Taylor (Bothwell Castle), Jason McCreadie (Buchanan Castle), David Orr (East Renfrewshire) £117.20 each. 72 Mark Finlayson (Edzell), Gregor Abel (Alloa), Colin Gillies (Playsport Golf), Mark Loftus (Cowglen), Jonathan Lomas (unatt), Lindsay Mann (Carnoustie) £65.21 each. 73 Edward Thomson (Senit Associates), Ross Harrower (Boat of Garten), Stephen Duncan (Cathcart Castle) £48.39 each. 74 Sean O'Donnell (Balbirnie Park) £48.39. 75 Colin Nelson (Mackenzie's Golf Shop), Craig Ronald (Carluke) £48.39 each. 76 Nicholas Reid (unatt) £48.39. 78 Iain Donaldson (Meldrum House), Stewart Davidson (Banchory), Lee Vannet (Carnoustie Golf Links) £48.l39 each. 79 Garry Harvey (Kinross Golf), John Ruth (Sandyhills) £48.39 each. 80 Steven Chalmers (Banchory), Anthony Mackrell (Playsport Golf) £48.39 each. 81 Start Pardoe (Scottish Golf Centre) £48.39. NRs Paul Brookes (Pitreavie), James Mooney (Kingscliff Golf Solutions) £48.39 each.

BY GEORGE! RODAKS WINS NORTH SENIORS OPEN Moffat's George Rodaks scored his first win of the season on the domestic over-55s' with a come-from-behind swoop to land the North of Scotland Seniors Open championship at Nairn Dunbar Golf Club today. Rodaks had trailed Ian Brotherston (Dumfries & County), first-round leader with a 72 but when Brotherston slipped to a 78 for 150, George won the day with rounds of 75 and 74 for 149. Joint second with Brotherston on 150 were Iain Stewart (The Curragh) (78-72) and Brian Smith (Kilmacolm) (78-72). FINAL TOTALS CSS 74 75 149 George Rodaks (Moffat) 75 74. 150 Iain Stewart (The Curragh) 78 72, Brian Smith (Kilmacolm) 78 72, Ian Brotherston (Dumfries & Co) 72 78. 151 Bob Stewart (Tulliallan) 76 75, Michael Jenkins (Duff House Royal) 74 77, Hugh Clunas (Nairn Dunbar) 74 77. 152 Derek Murphy (Kinross) 77 75. 153 Jim Watt (Letham Grange) 78 75. 154 Jalil Aman (Grangemouth) 80 74, Brian Methven (Royal Aberdeen) 78 76, Alistair Fiddes (Deeside) 73 81. 155 John Broadfoot (Turnberry) 78 77, Colin Christy (Kilmacolm) 78 77, Keith Bruce (Edzell) 77 78, Donald McCart (Sherwood Forest) 75 80.

Peter becomes a Senior at last!

By STEVE TODD, European Tour Press Officer
Peter Senior will live up to his surname when he joins the European Senior Tour ranks this week, becoming the third Australian former European Tour winner to join the over 50s circuit so far this season.
Senior, who turned 50 on July 21, makes his debut in the Cleveland Golf/Srixon Scottish Senior Open at Fairmont St Andrews, where he will join compatriot and fellow rookie Mike Harwood in the field.
Harwood finished third in his second event in the DGM Barbados Open and Senior will be looking for a similarly explosive start to his own Senior Tour career, 30 years after making his European Tour debut in 1979.
“I’ve been waiting for about six or seven years to get started on the Senior Tour so I’m really looking forward to it,” said Senior. “I decided to spend a bit of time with the family and see the kids go through school and I was Chairman of the Australian PGA for the last 12 months. The Senior Tour has now given me the opportunity to go back and out and do what I love again.
“I’ve been playing quite a bit in Australia and I still really enjoy it. I’ve had some good results so I feel competitive. I still practise a lot and enjoy the game. It will be great to see a lot of my old friends such as Peter Mitchell, Glenn Ralph, Stephen Bennett who I knew from the main Tour.”
With countryman Peter Fowler also a recent inductee to the Senior Tour, the rookie trio will bolster an already strong Australian presence on the Senior Tour which includes champions Terry Gale, Stewart Ginn, David Good and Noel Ratcliffe, as well as Dave Merriman, who was runner up in the Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open.
“There’s a good group of us on the Senior Tour now and it will be great to catch up with them all,” he said. “The Aussies are always a close community and the Senior Tour is a chance for us all to get together again.
“I’d like to do as well as Mike(Harwood) did in his first few events. I’ve not been a rookie for 30 years so it will be nice! I think you have a good chance of winning in your first few years so hopefully I can do that but it will just be nice to compete again.
“The standard on the Senior Tour is really high – you just have to look at Ian Woosnam and Sam Torrance and what Tom Watson did last month.
“I’ve played a lot of golf around the St Andrews area and it is a great place to make my debut on the Senior Tour. I’m just going to take everything as it comes – I’m not setting myself any targets.”
Senior won four times on The European Tour, his first title coming in the 1986 PLM Open before subsequent triumphs in the 1987 Johnnie Walker Monte Carlo Open and the 1990 European Open, with his last victory in the 1992 Benson and Hedges International Open.
He showed he can still compete at the highest level when he finished tied 11th in the Sportsbet Australian Masters last November and tied 14th in the Johnnie Walker Classic in February.
Coincidentally his Senior Tour bow will be at the Torrance course redesigned by former Ryder Cup Captain Torrance, whom the Australian claims helped saved his career.
Senior had been plagued by putting problems until Torrance converted him to the broom handle putter, since when he has been a consistent performer on the greens.

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Surrey win English boys' county title

for third year in a row

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION
Surrey are English boys county champions again. They collected their third successive title when they beat Gloucestershire 5-3 with one match halved on an extremely windy afternoon at Whittington Heath.
Their victory completed a clean sweep of the other three regional county champions and leaves them at the pinnacle of boys’ golf. Their captain Terry Casey was naturally delighted at seeing his side completed their mission of a title hat-trick.
“This is an unbelievable feeling to have won again,” he said. “It’s a fantastic effort but this is such a good bunch of lads but I seem to say that every year. It’s all about team work. Josh White is such a great captain and I cannot believe how we come up with such an unbelievable bunch of kids each year.”
So what is the secret of Surrey’s success? “We don’t even know if there is a secret,” he added. “It’s about a lot of hard work by a team of people which starts with the committee and we have the best coach which creates a good foundation so the kids just want to play. Of course, winning becomes a habit and we have five of this team who will be available next year. I thought this would be our lean year but I was wrong.”
Gloucester captain Mark Powell said: “We got extremely close and I’m proud of my team. This is the furthest Gloucester have got in the championship and I felt we had a good chance of beating Surrey. We halved the singles when we played them in a friendly in March without our two England boys. But it wasn’t to be.”
After edging the morning foursomes 2-1, Surrey needed a fast start in the singles and they got it from Ben Taylor, who beat Sam Payne 6 and 5, plus an exemplary display from Curtis Griffiths in defeating Laurie Potter 3 and 2.
England boy cap Chris Lloyd lost the opening hole to the promising left-hander Greg Payne but struck back with five 3s in the next six holes to race four-up on his way to a 5 and 4 win. But Surrey were not to be denied and although Tyler Hogarty gained another point for Gloucester, Surrey were seen home with a half from Matthew Chapman against boy cap Adam Carson while skipper Josh White rounded it all off with a two hole victory over Sam Sullivan.
In the contest for third place, Lancashire beat Worcestershire 6-3 after taking two of the foursomes to leave the Midland Champions with the wooden spoon. After lunch, Lancashire came out with all guns blazing, taking the top two singles through Jack Brooks, 4 and 2 over Chris Nugent, and by 6 and 4 by Anthony Stirling against Rob Aldred.
Stirling was particularly impressive, the Formby lad claiming seven birdies and 21 putts in the 14 holes played. That put Lancashire within sight of victory and they cantered home with further wins from Mark Duncalf and James Bolton. All match scores, championship commentary and news updates are available on the Championships Section of the EGU website, www.englishgolfunion.org

US Seniors Tour report

Brad Bryant equals tournament record

with 10-under-par 62 at Crosswater

Brad Bryant equalled the tournament low record mark with a 10-under 62 in the first round of the JELD-WEN Tradition at Crosswater Golf Club.
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Related Links
Leaderboard: Scores
See Bryant's 62
Power Rankings
Round 1 notebook
Video: Jacobsen birdies 15th
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Bryant had 11 birdies and one bogey for a three-shot lead in the fourth of five majors this year on the US Champions (Seniors) Tour.
Bryant's best finish this year was fourth at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open in June. He has four overall Tour victories, his last at the Senior U.S. Open in 2007.
Loren Roberts shot a 65, while Tom Watson and Tom Lehman each had 67s as temperatures hovered in the upper 90s on the scenic 7,533yd course in the shadow of Mount Bachelor.
Defending champion Fred Funk was in a group at 4-under.
Tour money leader Bernhard Langer shot a 71.
Even Bryant was stunned by his low round, which matched Watson's low second round in 2003 when the tournament was played in Aloha, Oregon, west of Portland.
Bryant's personal best round was 63.
"Just played really great," he said. "Definitely one of my top five ball-striking rounds in my life."
Bryant has one win on the US PGA Tour, at the Walt Disney World-Oldsmobile Classic in 1995.
"Ten under?" Roberts mused. "I just can't believe how good that is."
Roberts, who has won twice on the Tour this year, had five birdies and an eagle on the par-4, 410-yard 10th hole. Roberts won the Tradition in 2005.
Watson, who won the Tradition in 2003, fell to Stewart Cink in a dramatic play-off at the Open a month ago.
"It was a pretty benign day," Watson said. "Not a lot of wind to deal with. The flags were accessible."
However, the altitude and heat did play a role when it came to distance: "That ball can get out there, it can go," he said.
Greg Norman withdrew shortly before the first round because of back spasms. It would have been the Shark's first appearance in the event, and sixth start on the Tour this year.
Funk was coming off a victory at the U.S. Senior Open, where he became the first player in a U.S. Golf Association championship to finish at 20-under par. A week earlier, he lost in a three-way playoff at the Senior British Open.
He has finished in the top 10 in the previous three Champions Tour majors this season and leads the Charles Schwab Cup points standings.
"That's my goal this year, to win the Charles Schwab Cup. I really want it," Funk said.
Funk shot a final-round 3-under 69 in the Tradition last year for a three-shot victory over Mike Goodes and his first win in a major on the Tour.
This year, his first round featured four birdies.

Bad light stops play in US PGA Tour event

Poor light prematurely curtailed play at the Wyndham Championship with half the US PGA Tour field still to complete their first round.
Rain then fading light meant the other half of the field will return to the Sedgefield Country Club to complete their 18 holes this morning ahead of the second round.
Americans Chez Reavie, Brandt Snedeker and Ryan Moore share the clubhouse lead on 64.

NATIONWIDE TOUR REPORT

Michael Sim bogeys the last for

a six-under-par 65 in Kansas

Paul Claxton, a 41-year old from Georgia, decided to go back to an old putter that helped him time after time in the past. The results have been immediate. Claxton needed only 25 putts to shoot an 8-under-par 63 and grab the first-day lead in the inaugural Nationwide Tour's Christmas in October Classic at Overland Park, Kansas.
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Related Links
Leaderboard: Scores
Scorecard: Claxton
Nationwide Tour Weekly
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Claxton's putting efforts resulted in 10 birdies and put him one up on Tom Gillis, winner of the Nationwide Tour Players Cup and the No. 4 money winner in 2009.
Hunter Haas, leading money-winner Aberdeen-born Michael Sim, Garrett Osborn and Canadian Chris Baryla are two shots back at the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate.
Heavy rains this week have dumped approximately five inches of rain on the par-71 lay-out, forcing officials to allow lift, clean and place conditions for round one.
"I've been switching putters and that's just not good," said Claxton who changed things up two weeks ago and immediately tied for sixth at the Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open. "We make it harder than it is. You'd think after all these years I would figure that out."
After missing nine cuts in his first ten starts and 13 of his first 16, the Vidalia resident called upon an "old faithful" to bail him out of a prolonged slump. He added another top-25 finish last week in Springfield, Mo., at the Price Cutter Charity Championship.
"I went through a bunch of other putters that didn't work," he said. "When you're making putts, you don't know why and when you're missing them, you don't know why either. They're just going in and I'm trying to enjoy that part of it."
Claxton enjoyed a career-best score, topping his previous mark of 64, which he'd done three times, most recently at the 2007 Fort Smith Classic.
While Claxton is enjoying the day, nobody seems to be having more fun than the 41-year old Gillis, who hasn't missed a cut in his eight starts this season and has already locked up a spot on the US PGA Tour next year. Gillis has a win, a second and tie for third in his last four starts.
Despite that, the Michigan native finds himself having trouble staying focused. Gillis has played all over the world and had two previous shots at the PGA Tour after successfully surviving the qualifying tournament.
"I've probably never been as relaxed on the golf course as I am now," he said. "I've never been in this situation before. At times I feel flat starting the day out. It's been very difficult to keep my mind on the task at hand and what I'm trying to accomplish here. The previous times I didn't have six months to prepare. I had about three or four weeks."
Gillis' recent success has helped him push his season earnings to $270,796, which is more than enough make sure he's one of "The 25" Tour graduates in October.
"I've seen guys go through this," he said. "I've never lived it and I always wondered why they struggled after they get to a certain amount. Now, I could see why that could happen. You just start thinking about where you want to go next and you just get flat. I feel good though, but a seven-under score will do that for you."
Michael Sim, who needs one more win this season to make an automatic leap over to the US PGA Tour ahead of next season, was 7-under after a birdie at No. 17 but his 5-iron on the final hole found a greenside bunker and he missed his par attempt from six feet, settling for a 6-under 65.
Sim is coming off a T51 finish at last week's US PGA Championship in Minnesota. The 24-year old Aberdonian also tied for 18th in the U.S. Open at Bethpage in New York, his only other US PGA Tour outing this year.

McGinley and Orr share lead in

KLM Open with six-under 64s

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
Ireland's Paul McGinley and Scot Gary Orr took advantage of calm early conditions to share the first round lead at the KLM Open in the Netherlands.
Both fired six under par 64s to be one ahead of a group which includes defending champion Darren Clarke, McGinley's fellow Dubliner Peter Lawrie, Australian Matthew Millar and Spain's Jorge Campillo.
McGinley, captain of the Britain and Ireland side in next month's Vivendi Trophy, has high hopes of re-igniting his career.
The 42 year old has fallen outside the top 200 in the World Rankings and is 130th on The Race to Dubai.
"The season's been flat," said McGinley, runner-up to Clarke on the same course 12 months ago. "I've not played well enough - no excuses.
“I think the reason I enjoy playing in Holland is because the courses suit me. You’ve got to work the ball, and your course management really comes into play.”
His day promised to be even better when he stood seven under and three clear after 12 holes, having already made five birdies and a 20 foot eagle putt.
But the 2005 Volvo Masters champion - that was his last victory - bogeyed the short eighth, his 17th, and Orr caught him by also playing the back nine in 30.
The Helensburgh golfer, now 42 as well, has to go back to 2000 for his last success and has not had things easy since then.
Orr lost his European Tour card five years ago, then suffered recurring back problems and had to fight for his future again at the start of last season.
Finishing joint second in The European Open in May brought him back to the fore and at 129th in the world he is now Scotland's highest-ranked player.
“I’ve not played for about four weeks,” revealed Orr. “So it’s been quite a long lay-off, but I’d played a long stretch of tournaments leading up to that, so I probably needed a break. I didn’t touch a club for a couple of weeks, then worked on a few areas which I felt needed addressing, such as my posture and balance.
“I feel I’m getting back into the groove now, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Clarke grabbed seven birdies and felt he would have been out in front but for "a couple of stupid schoolboy errors".
The first plugged in a bunker and the second led to him taking a penalty drop away from a bush.
Lawrie came back from an opening bogey for a matching 65, while double Masters Tournament champion Jose Maria Olazábal, suffering from more rheumatic pains, was two under with one to go, but double bogeyed the 418 yard ninth just like Colin Montgomerie did - and just like Welshman Bradley Dredge did after reaching six under.
Play was suspended for an hour late in the day because of a storm and on the resumption Scot Callum Macaulay came in with a 66 to be only two behind. Another Scot on the four-under-par mark was the 1999 Open champion, Paul Lawrie.
Robert-Jan Derksen gave the home fans something to cheer when he produced a hole-in-one at the par three 11th, finding the cup with his seven iron tee shot on the way to a level par 70.
FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
Par 70
64 Gary Orr, Paul McGinley
65 Jorge Campillo (Spa), Matthew Millar (Aus), Darren Clarke, Peter Lawrie
66 Phillip Price, Kenneth Ferrie, Peter Hedblom (Swe), Callum Macaulay, Shane Lowry, Paul Lawrie, Jamie Donaldson, Ignacio Garrido (Spa), Wade Ormsby (Aus), Bradley Dredge
67 Carlos Del Moral (Spa), Garry Houston, Damien McGrane, Gareth Maybin, Klas Eriksson (Swe), Simon Dyson, Markus Brier (Aut), Oskar Henningsson (Swe)
68 Michael Lorenzo-Vera (Fra), Andrew Coltart, David Lynn, Mark Brown (Nzl), Simon Khan, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa), Felipe Aguilar (Chi), Alexandre Rocha (Bra), Alessandro Tadini (Ita), Barry Lane
69 James Kingston (Rsa), Rafael Echenique (Arg), John Bickerton, Simon Wakefield, Robert Rock, Niclas Fasth (Swe), Michael Jonzon (Swe), Marcus Fraser (Aus), Richard Bland, Richie Ramsay, Stuart Davis, Ulrich Van Den Berg (Rsa), Jeppe Huldahl (Den), Zane Scotland, Alan McLean, Francois Delamontagne (Fra), Terry Pilkadaris (Aus), Richard Green (Aus), Mark Foster, Chris Doak, Peter O'Malley (Aus)
70 Mikael Lundberg (Swe), Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Robert Jan Derksen (Ned), John Mellor, Martin Erlandsson (Swe), Danny Willett, Jurien Van der vaart (Ned), Jose-Maria Olazabal (Spa), Eirik Tage Johansen (Nor), Miles Tunnicliff, Sam Little, Christian Cevaer (Fra), Magnus A Carlsson (Swe), Jarmo Sandelin (Swe), Stuart Manley, Marc Cayeux (Zim), Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg), Emanuele Canonica (Ita), Ross McGowan, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe)
71 Jonathan Caldwell, Alvaro Velasco (Spa), Floris De Vries (Ned), Joost Luiten (Ned), Benn Barham, Sion Bebb, Stephen Leaney (Aus), Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den), Chinnarat Phadungsil (Tha), Graeme Storm, Tadd Fujikawa (USA), Iain Pyman, Chapchai Nirat (Tha), Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra), Roope Kakko (Fin), Chris Wood, Shiv Kapur (Ind), Scott Arnold (Aus), Maarten Lafeber (Ned), Lee Slattery, Richard Kind (Ned), Rolf Muntz (Ned), Marcus Higley, Inder Van Weerelt (Ned), Guido Van Der Valk (Ned), Mark Mouland
72 Ake Nilsson (Rsa), David Howell, Scott Drummond, Ruben Wechgelaer (Ned), Gary Lockerbie, David Drysdale, Sven Struver (Ger), Alexander Noren (Swe), Marc Warren, David Dixon, Mark Reynolds (Ned), Alejandro Canizares (Spa), Santiago Luna (Spa), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Spa), Pablo Martin (Spa)
73 Patrik Sjoland (Swe), Jules De vries (Ned), David Horsey, Wil Besseling (Ned), Brett Rumford (Aus), Taco Remkes (Ned), Tim Sluiter (Ned), Michael Curtain (Aus), Thomas Levet (Fra)
74 Sven Maurits (Ned), Christian Nilsson (Swe), Mikko Ilonen (Fin), Robert Dinwiddie, Branden Grace (Rsa), Pablo Larrazabal (Spa), Sam Walker, Fabrizio Zanotti (Par), Phillip Archer, Bernd Wiesberger (Aut)
75 Pelle Edberg (Swe), Steven O'Hara
76 John E Morgan, Gary Murphy, Colin Montgomerie, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (Spa), Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra), Reinier Saxton (Ned), Anthony Snobeck (Fra)
77 Ronald Stokman (Ned), Seve Benson
78 Jan-Willem Van Hoof (Ned), Scott Barr (Aus), Stephen Dodd, Willem Vork (Ned), Marcel Siem (Ger), Oliver Fisher
79 Alastair Forsyth, Michael Hoey
80 Marco Ruiz (Par), Thomas Detry (Bel)

Sam may not be able to play it again

in Senior open over his course


FROM THE SCOTSMAN GOLF WEBSITE
By Alan Pattullo
While Tom Watson might have helped create the notion that golfers of a certain age can go on for ever, Sam Torrance has been given a painful reminder of the challenge of playing at a high standard when in one's fifties.
At the Senior Open at Sunningdale, Torrance paid tribute to Watson by telling him how his achievements at the previous week's Open in Turnberry had made him feel proud to be a golfer again. But the flip-side of the great sport's capacity to reward experience is its ability to cut down a veteran's hopes of defying the advancing years.
Torrance turns 56 on Monday, and had yearned to spend the day celebrating a second Scottish Senior Open title win. However, a painful lower back spasm has put his appearance at Fairmont St Andrews today in jeopardy.
Since the course hosting the tournament bears his name, this is an especially regrettable prospect. Torrance has already decided not to return to the area next month to feature in the Dunhill Links championship.
Even given Watson's heroics, he believes that demanding competition might be a step too far for him now. Much more alluring is a Cleveland golf/Srixon Scottish Senior Open on a course where he can boast such special insight.
The Torrance course was originally opened in 2001, but has recently had eight of its holes re-designed, with the Scot's blessing. Bunkers have been revetted and a new aerated water system put in place.
But Torrance could be denied the chance to take advantage of his inside knowledge after being struck down by a frustrating back complaint. Having been re-located to golf's heartland of Fife after three years at Dalmahoy, the tournament would suffer a grave blow should Torrance have to pull-out.
However, the former Ryder Cup captain gave every indication he would do everything in his power to make his 10.40am appointment on the first tee this morning, in the company of Peter Senior and fellow Scot Bill Longmuir, a champion five years ago. Ian Woosnam, who tees off at 10.20am with John Bland and defending champion Peter Mitchell, is another big draw.
"The day before I came up the lower right-hand side of my back was a bit stiff," Torrance explained. "At my age, you have these things to contend with virtually every day. But it has got worse. I got up yesterday morning and it was not good at all. Hopefully by tomorrow it will be fine, but at the moment it is not looking good."
Torrance only managed six holes of the pro-am tournament yesterday, before walking off to seek more treatment. It is clear he is desperate to feature. "It's huge for me," he said of a tournament in which he triumphed in 2006. Another win here would take him top of the Order of Merit table, following a first win of the season – and 11th Senior title in total – at the DGM Barbados Open in March.
"In life you have to accept these things," Torrance said. "They come up and slap you in the face when you least expect it. I came up here in great form. I didn't hit a ball last week. Instead I just totally relaxed, and stayed at home. I wanted to get ready to come up here and win this, so it (the back spasm] is a pain in the backside.
"I love St Andrews, it's one of my favourite places in the world," he added.
Torrance's absence would be a blow at a time when golf's golden oldie brigade have been provided with such credibility.
While the hand-wringing continues about the shortage of characters in the current era, recent performances from the likes of Watson and Greg Norman, who led last year's Open at Birkdale with nine holes to go, have shown that the old stars of the game can still be competitive, and not just when pitted against their own age-group.
Torrance had just finished his stint as commentator for the BBC when Watson – and the millions cheering him on around the world – endured the agony of seeing the Open title slip from his grasp at Turnberry.
"I was listening to it in the car driving home," recalled Torrance. "I felt for him. I sent him a wee message. He's a great man. He made me proud to be a golfer. In fact, that's what I told him when I saw him the week after at the Senior Open. He is a very intelligent man, and very streetwise as well. It's a great combination. Of course he can handle it (the disappointment].
"I thought Watson's performance was just extraordinary," he continued. "It has to be up with the best sporting performances of all time in my book. If he had won it then obviously it would have been the greatest sporting performance of all time. But even though he didn't win it, I still think to be 59 years of age and be tied for the Open is right up there.
"It's a shot in the arm (for us] alright. It certainly shows us what we are capable of. I have looked after myself. My body is in good shape – well, until today, that is."