analysis Self-deprecating comments about his weight fail to disguise the Northern Irishman's title ambitions, writes Nick Rodger

Like a pair of ill-fitting trousers around Darren Clarke’s waist, things are getting pretty tight as the 140th Open Championship reached its halfway stage at a baking Royal St George’s. “My manager has always said that I play better when I’m fat so I’ve been trying to adhere to that theory,” chuckled Clarke, after waddling into a share of the lead at the end of a day which saw the qualifiers for the closing 36-holes, of which there were 71, separated by just seven strokes.

While the English world one-two of Luke Donald and Lee Westwood were among a host of big names to miss the cut and the timeless Tom Watson shone like the sun with a hole-in-one on the sixth, Clarke posted a second successive two-under 68 in the perfect, windless morning conditions over the brick-hard Sandwich links to finish alongside American Lucas Glover on a cramped leaderboard.

Despite the self-deprecating references to his bulk, the 42-year-old has still been overshadowed by the exploits of his fellow Northern Irishmen, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIroy, who have both taken the US Open crown back to the province in the last 12 months.

Clarke, who highlighted a roller-coaster round with an 80-foot eagle putt on the par-five seventh, has yet to taste success in a major, but he’s been close before in the Open. He shared second in the 1997 championship at Royal Troon and tied for third in the 2001 event at Royal Lytham. Asked if he believed that he could finally make his breakthrough this weekend, the Ryder Cup stalwart was confident, yet understandably cautious in his response. “Of course I do, of course I do,” said Clarke, ahead of a weekend which is set to be wet and windy. “It would mean an awful lot to win this but we’ve only played two rounds. There’s a long way to go yet and I believe the forecast for the weekend is pretty poor which I’ll quite look forward to. The course will play very, very tough. If that’s the case, the tournament will still be wide open for an awful lot of players.”

Whatever the elements and his challengers throw at him over the weekend, Clarke will go into action with the outlook of a man who has perspective as a club in his armoury. Having lost his wife, Heather, to cancer just weeks before starring for Europe in the 2006 Ryder Cup trouncing of the US in 2006, he added: “Nothing could be more difficult than that particular week at the K club. I wouldn’t say this is a breeze, but nothing would be more difficult than it was that week.”

Glover, the winner of the US Open in 2009, continued his menacing progress as he tucked himself in among the pacesetters after a relatively uneventful level-par 70.

The 31-year-old has endured a fairly grim run since winning the Wells Fargo championship back in May. A share of 40th in his next six events following that success would hardly suggest that he was ready to launch an assault on the Claret Jug but the South Carolina man has hurled the form book out of the window in Kent this week.

In a sport where anything other than a short back-and-sides often creates a bit of a stooshie, Glover’s facial hair came in for some hefty debate on the radio during his round. “No player has won the Open with a beard since the 1890s” suggested one commentator. While the likes of Harry Vardon, J H Taylor and Wullie Auchterlonie, Open winners in that particular era, all sported neatly-trimmed moustaches you have to go back to the days of Willie Park and Tom Morris Snr in the 1880s for the kind of triumphant growth that almost touched the head of a grounded mashie niblick. The BBC really should do their research on hirsute history.

Glover’s fellow American Chad Campbell, who shared 15th the last time the Open was held at St George’s in 2003, eased into the hunt with a 68 for 137 while Germany’s Martin Kaymer cemented his place with a 69 for his three-under tally.

The 26-year-old from Duesseldorf, who will defend his US PGA title next month, is aware that the weather is set to turn over the weekend but the former world No.1 is up for the challenge.

“If the weather comes, the rain and the wind, then it’s going to be a battle but I’m ready for that,” he said with defiance.

Thomas Bjorn, the joint overnight leader, leaked three shots on his opening four holes as he sagged to a 72 for 137 and dropped back into a tie for third where he was joined by Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez. “It wasn’t the prettiest day golf wise but I’ll take where I stand right now,” said the 2003 runner-up South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel, the winner of April’s Masters, bolstered his Claret Jug hopes with a 67 for 138 to barge into a share of seventh with a posse of players which includes veterans David Love III and the 1996 Open champion Tom Lehman, who had purposeful rounds of 68 and 67 respectively.

English youngster Tom Lewis, who broke the record for the lowest amateur round in the Open with his 65 on Thursday, had a tougher time yesterday but did enjoy a bit of luck and avoided going out of bounds on the last when he hit a post and landed on a path. He signed for 74 but is still in the thick of it on 139 in a group that includes quadruple major winner Phil Mickelson. Rory McIlroy, the US Open holder, got up and down from a plugged lie in a bunker on the 18th to salvage a par in a 69 for 140 to sit in a tie for 19th with the 2007 runner-up Sergio Garcia.

Louis Oozthuizen, the defending champion, lived to fight another day on 142 following a 70 but Ben Curtis, the Open champion at Sandwich in 2003, joined the dearly departed on 151.