'I went back at 6 o'clock last night and worked for a couple of hours with Pete and managed to find something that worked.

'I hit quite a few good shots today and also quite a few bad ones but managed to keep them in play. I managed to grind out a few holes and capitalised on the good ones.'

The result was a 66 and the early clubhouse lead with five birdie and an eagle on the 3rd where a five wood to 15ft set up an 'easy' one, as Clarke referred to it afterwards.

This is not a course where Clarke has good stroke play memories compared to just down the road at the Forest of Arden where the Irishman has topped up his bank account substantially in just about every event he has played there. He could only say that he had good Ryder Cup memories. The withdrawing thoughts were still with Clarke when he three putted the 10th, his first hole of the day.

He had considered talking with his manager and promoter of the British Masters, Chubby Chandler, only to rethink how upset Chubby would have been with him. There was also an extra item in Clarke's bag which was noted by spectators and the press alike, a huge long wooden stick which was not apparently for beating his caddie Billie Foster with when Foster mad a mistake. It was simply there as a stretching tool for Clarke on the practice ground.

Paul Casey possess such power he did not hit many drivers round the Brabazon course in his opening 67, to lie one back from Clarke.

'I think I have a good plan of how to play this course', said Casey, 'A lot of three woods seems to have worked perfectly.?

Five birdies and no bogeys all added up to some renewed confidence for a player who has won here, and who would desperately like to not miss a Major Championship again after watching the Masters on the television this year -

'Its tough being outside the Top 50. Nice being in it. But that's the beauty of dropping out of it. You realise what you are missing out on.?

One the subject of where Casey's confidence had gone, the Englishman was forthright -

'If I knew I could tell you. I would write a book about it if I knew. I don?t know why it went but that's just the way it is.'

Perhaps this week will see the start of a Casey comeback to where he should belong in the World Rankings. The other notable round from the morning play was a 67 from another past Ryder Cupper in Jarmo Sandelin. Sandelin though he far less happy memories of the one match he played at Brookline in 199 when he played only one game (in the singles) and the trophy went back to the US.

The Swede was passed in the afternoon when his fellow Countryman Peter Hanson had a superb start with five birdies in a row, to eventually match Darren Clarke?s 66. Just as last year, Day 1 of the 2006 British Masters saw Michael Campbell return to form with his own 67 and with a new driver from Cobra, Ian Poulter has leapfrogged up the driving statistics so that from languishing in the 150s, he now can challenge nearly anyone on the tour for length off the tee.