Playing in his first tournament since his first major win at Royal St. George’s two weeks ago, Clarke dropped four shots over the second round on the way to a 3-over 74, leaving him 1 over at the halfway point.

With the projected cut at level par and possibly rising given the calm conditions in Killarney, the Northern Irishman looked likely to miss the weekend along with Ireland’s three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, who was 3 over after a second-round 72.

“All in all, I’m disappointed with my score but there’s always next week,” said Clarke, referring to the WGC Bridgestone Invitational event in Akron, Ohio.

“A weekend off is not what I wanted coming here. It will not do me any harm but I’d much prefer to be playing. It’s more mental fatigue than physical fatigue. I was trying, trying, trying and couldn’t get anything going — I couldn’t buy a putt.”

A bogey at the par-4 last hole likely sealed Clarke’s fate.

“I saw the cut was going to be 1 under and tried to make my chip, but was too aggressive with it,” he said.

Past and present US Open champions Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy were among the afternoon starters but both were a long way behind Singh, who followed up an opening-day 63 — his career-best round in 16 years on the European Tour — with a round of 70 for 9 under.

The Indian maintained the two-shot lead he held overnight, with England’s Simon Wakefield (66) and France’s Raphael Jacquelin (68) his closest challengers in the clubhouse.

Singh, looking for his fourth win on the European Tour, bogeyed the par-4 No. 17 to surrender a three-shot cushion but continued to be solid on the greens, rolling in a pair of birdies on either side of the turn.

“I’ll take 1 under today,” he said. “I struggled off the tee but I made a lot of par-saving putts so I’m happy.”

Wakefield birdied two of the last three holes to shoot the lowest round of the morning starters and reach 7 under with Jacquelin, who won the Sicilian Open in March and finished eighth at the British Open.

A shot further back was 22-year-old Northern Irish amateur Paul Cutler, who added a 67 to his first-round 69. Ireland’s Damien McGrane (67) was also in the clubhouse at 6 under.
 
Immelman rediscovers form

Former Masters champion Trevor Immelman has had very little to enjoy on the golf course over the last two years but all that changed in Thursday’s opening round of the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia.

The South African, who has struggled for fitness and consistency since having surgery on his left wrist in 2009, delivered a superb display of ball-striking on the way to a six-under-par 64 at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs.

Repeatedly peppering the flags with pinpoint approach shots, Immelman racked up seven birdies and one bogey to take the lead, one stroke ahead of Americans Billy Mayfair, Derek Lamely, Gary Woodland and Webb Simpson, and Australia’s Steve Bowditch.

Immelman, who won his first major at the 2008 Masters, was delighted to regain form at The Greenbrier after months of struggle and four missed cuts in his last six PGA Tour starts.

“Obviously I’m excited with the 64 today,” the 31-year-old told reporters after flourishing on the Old White Course in dazzling sunshine. “Any time you shoot a number like that it’s exciting. That’s why you put all the hard work in.

“It’s been a frustrating couple of years not being able to swing the way I want to swing and practise the way I want to practise.”

A medium-length hitter renowned for his ball-striking and course management, Immelman had wrist surgery in October of 2009 after suffering from tendinitis for much of that season.

He missed 10 of 19 cuts on the 2010 PGA Tour as he slowly worked his way back but was greatly encouraged by his all-round health coming into this year.

“My wrist has been pretty good,” he said. “It hasn’t bothered me at all so I’ve been able to get back to some of the stuff I used to do four or five years ago. I’ve seen some signs of good play and some good shots at the right time.”

Canada’s David Hearn, Zimbabwe’s Brendon de Jonge and Americans Chris Di Marco and Kyle Stanley opened with 66s but fan favorite and world No. 6 Phil Mickelson was frustrated after carding an erratic even-par 70.

The 61-year-old Watson opened with a 75 while Australian Appleby, who triumphed by one shot last year after closing with a scintillating 11-under-par 59, returned a 71.