Clarke takes charge at Senior Open

Darren Clarke carded a three-under 67 at Gleneagles to take the halfway lead in the Senior Open.

The 2011 Open champion sat just one behind joint-leaders Stephen Ames and Glen Day overnight but produced a solid round in difficult conditions to edge ahead on eight-under 132.

Clarke, 53, sandwiched a birdie at the fourth with bogeys at the second and seventh on a "slippy" front nine, but matched his inward nine on Thursday with birdies at the 10th, 14th, 15th and 18th.

The Northern Irishman, who holds a two-shot lead over American Scott Parel, said: "Around the front nine today, I was so-so. I slipped. My right foot slipped a couple of times. But apart from that, I played really nicely.

"I'm trying to hit a lot of fairways and give myself decent looks. All the way around the back nine, I kept hitting nice shots, and could have been a few better. But, you know, it's the way it is."

Parel mixed seven birdies with three bogeys and a double-bogey at the par-four 12th in his 68 and was happy with his score after an opening 66.

"I putted quite well. Didn't hit the ball maybe quite as good as yesterday but the conditions are a lot tougher, so very happy with 68," he said.

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