Birdies for the Ulsterman at the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th put him clear at the top of the Red Bull Final 5 leaderboard ahead of a brace of players on three under par. This storming finish rescued a round that had started poorly and Clarke eventually finished on four under par for the day.

His effort over the Final 5 holes means that Red Bull will again be donating £4,000 to Sport Relief in Clarke’s name - £1,000 for every shot under par by the leading player. This takes his personal tally to £8,000.

His first round score puts him in the driving seat to obtain Red Bull’s jackpot donation to Sport Relief. For every player who betters ten under par over the Final 5 for the tournament, Red Bull will donate £10,000 to Sport Relief.

Courtesy of www.europeantour.com