Andy shows Clarke he’s up for the Cup

AS a young Ryder Cup wannabe striding to the first tee to meet the captain, Andy Sullivan didn’t suffer the same fate of so many after shaking hands with Darren Clarke yesterday. Slightly daunted by the prospect or consumed by nerves? Hardly. Noting that Clarke had marked his ball with the figure 60 (the Northern Irishman is the only man on tour to shoot that score twice in competition), the Englishman remarked: ‘I didn’t realise you marked your ball with your age!’ So began a round filled with laughter and some fine golf as Clarke — who, for the record, is 47 — shot 70 and Sullivan a second successive 67 to take the clubhouse lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Half the field, including Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are due to complete their rounds this morning, following a three-hour delay yesterday for fog. If keeping his players relaxed so they can deliver their best golf is among the most valuable qualities a Ryder Cup captain can possess, Clarke should prove a winner in that department in September. ‘You could see last week at the Eur-Asia Cup, Darren kept it all light-hearted in the team room and the players responded to that,’ said Sullivan, who contributed a maximum three points to the European triumph. In the banter stakes, Clarke can hold his own but he did resort to his ace card after one remark from Sullivan sailed close to the wind. ‘You keep taking the mickey like that and you can forget all about being a wildcard pick,’ said the skipper, grinning. Actually, if he keeps playing like he has been, Sullivan will walk into the team and there’s no question Clarke expects him to do just that. He said: ‘Andy is a quality ball striker. He is the whole package. He drives the ball beautifully and putts great. He’s 10 under but he could easily be 14 or 15 under.’ Sullivan showed his liking for desert golf last November when he fought a compelling duel with McIlroy for the DP World Tour Championship. McIlroy has work to do to set up a similar tussle here following an indifferent 13 holes yesterday to stand on five under. Spieth is a further two shots from the lead. First-round leader Bryson DeChambeau is one shot behind Sullivan on nine under but still has nine holes to complete.