Clarke first to find his way out of the mud

The Masters: Ulsterman revels in wet conditions in belated first round while Woods' charge falters on opening holes

In a list of those who are what they call in these parts a good "mudder", Darren Clarke would be mentioned quite high up. The expression refers to those who get on with it when conditions are less than ideal and would not usually apply at the pristine Augusta National. But when the 67th Masters got underway a day late yesterday morning the course was as sloppy as it has ever been.

While spectators slipped down the hills on the walkways where grass was a distant memory, the players slopped their way around inside the ropes. Clarke was soon on the leaderboard with a four-under-par score of 32 on the second nine of the course after teeing off at the 10th.

After an opening birdie, Clarke dropped a shot at the next but responded by birdieing the 13th and 14th before making an eagle at the 15th. He completed the nine with an exquisite chip at the 18th after missing the green long and left.

Clarke then hit his approach to two feet at the first and holed the putt but only after the ball had completed a 360-degree circuit of the rim of the cup. The Irishman immediately broke out into a huge smile and once again the work he has done with Dr Bob Rotella, his sports psychologist, was proving beneficial on a day when everyone seemed to be struggling.

He also hit his approach at the short par-four third close and holed that birdie putt to go to six under. Sergio Garcia, enjoying a renaissance in form, also played the back nine in 32 and then birdied the second to be five under and two ahead of Mike Weir.

The early clubhouse leader was Nick Price after a 70, but generally the scoring was not good on a cold morning. There was a little more rain but not the deluges of the previous few days which had led to the loss of Thursday's play. Gradually the clouds cleared and a little sunshine, and the odd shadow, appeared.

But Tiger Woods was not carrying the sunniest of dispositions after he went to the turn in 39. Woods teed off at the first, historically his most troublesome hole, and was immediately in trouble as he went over the green on the right. His chip travelled across the green and fell off the left edge from where his next chip failed to make it up the bank and came back almost to his feet.

Remarkably, the two-time defending champion chipped in from there, over 30 feet away, for his bogey. But the world No 1 also dropped shots at the fourth and the new fifth. Back in 1997 Woods, then in his first full season as a professional, played the front nine in 40 but came home in 30 and went on to an astonishing 12-stroke victory.

If this Masters was meant to be a showdown between Woods and the world No 2, Ernie Els, they were at least matching each over shot for shot. The South African was out in 39 playing over on the back nine. With the two-tee start in operation, it was debatable whether it was better to start at the first or the 10th.

The first is one of the hardest holes on the course but with no run on the ball the players' drives at the 10th could not bound down the hill as usual so leaving an extremely long second shot. With the balls picking up mud on the fairways, the players noticeably played away from the water hazards. Most of the field made sure they were right of the green at the 11th and long at the short 12th.

Davis Love and Padraig Harrington, first and second respectively at the Players Championship a fortnight ago, were both out in 40 on the front nine, as was Colin Montgomerie. Even at an early stage another missed cut beckoned for the Scot as he bogeyed the 12th and the 14th.

One of the most surprising rounds of the day came from Justin Leonard, the Open champion in 1997. Leonard won the Honda Classic last month but was 10 over par after 14 holes. He found himself down in the basement of the leaderboard mostly populated by the ancient former champions.

Tommy Aaron, 66, posted a 92 that was only three strokes inside the worst ever round in the Masters, set by Charles Kunkle in 1956. Charles Coody, 65, had an 83 and their playing partner, Sandy Lyle, was dragged down with them to an 82.

Arnold Palmer, who made an emotional farewell to the event last year, only to change his mind when the proposed new exemption criteria for past champions was dropped on the eve of the tournament, was 10 over after 14 holes. Jack Nicklaus, who at 63 is 10 years Palmer's junior, also struggled and was 11 over after 13 holes.

While the fairways were still saturated, the greens were soft but relatively dry thanks to the "sub air" system which is embedded under each putting surface and which sucks away moisture into the underground drains. The system was also installed under the fairway at the fifth when alterations were carried out on the hole last summer.

According to Tom Fazio, the club's design consultant, they may put the system in under all the fairways, which would help to get the course ready after the sort of torrential rain seen this week, which amounted to almost four and a half inches in five days.

However, with the conditions so difficult the pace of play was particularly slow and the proposed start to the second round yesterday afternoon had to be put back half an hour.