Clarke makes an impression

Clarke rolled in a 90-footer for eagle at the seventh and closed his round with a birdie at the tough 18th,going to the clubhouse tied for the lead,if only for a moment.

Simon Dyson of England,an alternate,got off to a blistering start with three straight birdies in the afternoon to push his score to 5-under.

Clarke was one stroke back in a tie with Spains Miguel Angel Jimenez and American Lucas Glover,who followed up an opening 66 with a solid 70 on a warm,sunny day along the English seaside.

I didnt hole as many putts as I did yesterday, Glover said. But Im happy to grind out even par.

Glover,the 2009 US Open champion,emerged as the top hope for the US,which has gone five straight majors without a title its longest drought of the modern Grand Slam era. Also in contention from the other side of the Atlantic: Chad Campbell,who shot 68 for a 3-under 137 total,as well as Ricky Barnes and Jeff Overton,both at 3-under with holes left to play.

The co-leaders from the opening round were both struggling. Thomas Bjorn bogeyed the second and third holes to drop two strokes behind Dyson. Amateur Tom Lewis also was 2-over for the day.

Playing partner Tom Watson,the five-time Open champion Lewis was named after,sent a charge through the place with a hole-in-one at the sixth hole. Pulling out a 4-iron,Watson sent the ball soaring to the green,then watched it bounce one time before dropping into the cup.

The 61-year-old threw both arms in the air,high-fived Henrik Stenson,shook hands with Lewis,then took a bow toward the grandstand.

Wish I could have seen it go in, Watson quipped as he walked toward the hole to retrieve his ball. It was the second hole-in-one at this Open. Dustin Johnson aced the 16th during the opening round.

Early on,there was barely a cloud in the sky and little wind off the Strait of Dover and Clarke took advantage. I enjoy any time I get back on links, he said. Its the biggest and best tournament in the world why wouldnt I enjoy it?

Another prominent player dropped out. Two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen withdrew on Friday because of a back injury. He was unlikely to make the cut anyway after opening with a 76.

McDowell also was in danger of going home,even after opening with a 68. He was having a terrible time,taking double-bogey at the ninth and hobbling toward the finish at 5 over for the tournament.

The breeze picked up in the afternoon,which worked against the late-early portion of the draw. That included McIlroy,the heavy favourite but off to a sluggish start with a 71,and top-ranked Luke Donald,another of those who opened with a 71.

McIlroy was coming off a dominating win in the US Open that made him the centerpiece of this major. He rallied from a sloppy start on Thursday and had no complaints. Anywhere around even par is a good start, he said.

The morning starters were a combined 223-over par. The afternoon half combined to go only 94-over. There were a dozen rounds in the 60s in the morning,and 23 in the afternoon. Lewis started out as the first amateur to lead the Open since 1968,the first to pace any major since Mike Reid at the 1976 US Open.

Donald misses the cut

World number one Luke Donald missed the cut on Friday and second-ranked Lee Westwood was almost certain to fall by the wayside too. Donald carded a 75 for a 6-over total of 146. Westwood also looks like missing the cut after returning a 73 for 144. The cut looks likely to be made at 143.