He had a birdie, and called it `a thing of beauty', but the same hole could have cost Darren Clarke the European Masters lead yesterday in Crans sur Sierre. Clarke had his outrageous birdie on the 15th, his second in a run of four which earned him a seven-under-par 64 for a one-shot lead and yet another crack at overtaking Lee Westwood on Sunday for the European number one spot.

A change in attitude has been responsible for carrying Clarke to within just £43,000 of Westwood at the top of the rankings and this was succinctly demonstrated at this crucial hole. He had smashed a five iron to just 12 inches to eagle the first and by the time he came to his watershed, had four birdies as well on the card, to easily outweigh a couple of loose shots which had cost him bogeys.

But then it could have all gone wrong - but for his re-found patience this year which has resulted in a win and three second places. After a fine tee shot he planned a `floated' four iron to the green. Instead he dug in to the yielding turf, made soft by heavy morning rain, and splashed it only 100 yards, into a bunker.

It left him and playing-partner Sam Torrance, who topped his shot, falling about laughing. That turned out to be just the way to treat it, because Clarke then stepped up to play the sweetest of bunker shots, pitching just a foot past the flag, and holing a sixfooter for his second birdie in a row. Two more followed and he was ahead of the field, a stroke in front of Swede Patrik Sjoland.

He is also two ahead of Sjoland's fellow-countryman Olle Karlsson, Norwegian Per Haugsrud and Argentina's veteran campaigner Eduardo Romero, whose last tour win was here four years ago.

Crucially, all current European number one Westwood could muster was a 70. Colin Montgomerie, who is third in the order of merit, had the same score. Clarke is in the driving seat.

Clarke has the double aim of winning this tournament to get ahead of Westwood and to take points for Europe's Ryder Cup team for Brookline, Massachusetts in 1999 begin this week.

"The 15th was a great example of how I've listened to people and changed my attitude," he said. "A few months ago it could all have gone sour for me if that had happened but I accepted it and got on with the job."

He says he would like to close the gap with Westwood. "I want to get in front of him if possible, but we all know what Lee's capable of. I'm delighted to get off to a good start, but there's a long way to go to Sunday night.

"But I've always played reasonably well here and I played lovely for the front nine. This was nearly as good as my Saturday at Munich last week, even though I hit a couple of loose ones on the back nine. I feel I'm moving in the right direction and if I win tournaments then the Ryder Cup will take care of itself. It's not on my thoughts at the moment."

The Ryder Cup points are certainly on Nick Faldo's mind. The man who returned from the US Tour posted only a 71 yesterday, with four birdies and four bogeys.

If someone had told Raymond Burns a couple of weeks ago that he would best Faldo, the Ulsterman would have reacted sardonically, since his 1998 season seemed to be in tatters. A simple tip on "feel" from Eamon Darcy last week, and his decision to forsake the range and endless practice and go back to his natural game, seems to have helped him to turn the corner.

He shot a 69 yesterday - his best round since the European Grand Prix at Slaley Hall. Burns now hopes to lift himself from 158th on the rankings to try to build on it and retain his card.

He was even able to come back from a double bogey, caused in no small part by two small boys suddenly kicking up a racket nearby in the middle of his downswing. He crashed his shots into the middle of a clump of trees. After the round Burns insisted he could have matched Clarke's 64 if he had been in sharper form over the past six months.

Another man desperately seeking to retain his card is David Higgins, but, unable to practice before his round after flying in from France to take up his place at the last minute, he was always likely to be on the back foot.

The morning downpour added to his problems, and he shot 77. Des Smyth, too, suffered in the deluge and needs something special to rescue a 74.