Darren Clarke opened the Stifel Charity Classic with 64 (seven under). After Friday’s round in St Louis, he leads Mark Hensby by one; Vaughn Taylor and Tim Petrovic share third on 66 (five under).
Even a double bogey at the 13th failed to undo Clarke’s day: nine birdies helped him match the tournament’s opening-round record. Hensby went bogey-free. Hensby and Petrovic began the week outside the advancing group and provisionally moved inside it after Friday.
St Louis is hosting the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs opener for the first time. The field contains 68 of the season’s top 72 players. The top 54 in the season standings advance, then 36 after the next event. Positions therefore matter beyond the leaders: some players are fighting to extend their season.
Season leader Stewart Cink explained before play that he wants to compete for this individual trophy rather than constantly recalculate the standings around other players’ results. In his assessment, Norwood Hills’ long holes offer an advantage to power but require a succession of good decisions.
Clarke’s experience against strong fields reaches back to the main tour. In 2011 he won The Open at Royal St George’s, finishing three strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. The Northern Irishman also made five Ryder Cup appearances before captaining the European team in 2016.
The event is played over 54 holes of stroke play. Organisers scheduled the second round for Saturday, October 24, and the final round for Sunday, with the trophy presentation after play. One successful day does not identify the winner: the opening score establishes a position for the remaining competition.
Sources: PGA Tour Champions; TeeScripts; The Open; Stifel Charity Classic.
Darren Clarke – Real Club Valderrama – 2008: Pablo Herrero / CC BY 2.0.
